


B.F.F.

by iamcatastrophicc



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-07-27 15:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 35,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16221710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamcatastrophicc/pseuds/iamcatastrophicc
Summary: Gerard Way has wanted to be a dad ever since he was a kid but as he gets older he fears he might not be able to and tries to adopt. Unfortunately, they won't let him because he's a single dad so instead him and his best friend devise a scheme to get Gerard a child.





	1. Chapter 1

Ever since I was a kid I knew I wanted to be a dad. I wanted a little baby to love and care for and raise. But as I began to near my thirties I worried because I had never found a partner. The longest partner I’ve ever had was for five months, something always seems to come up to make us break up. And so I thought skip the partner thing, just get a baby.

But it turns out adoption agencies aren’t so fond of single dads adopting. It didn’t matter that I had a stable job and a cozy house, they preferred married couples. My heart had shattered into a million pieces when I wasn’t given an adoption approval. When I was online I would see all my friends starting families, even my younger brother had a baby for crying out loud, I wanted a kid too.

“Will you marry me, Frank?” I asked.

Frank snorted, taking a drink of his beer before respawning in the game of Call of Duty.

“I’m serious,” I said. “Will you actually marry me?”

“And why the fuck would I marry you?” He asked.

“Because you’re a bachelor and I want a baby,” I said.

“Just fuck a chick,” he said.

“What woman is crazy enough to agree to have a baby for me and just give them to me?” I asked.

“Why would I be crazy enough to marry you?” He asked. “And what does us marrying have to do with a baby?”

“They won’t let me adopt because I’m not married,” I said. “We only have to stay married long enough until the adoption is finalized.”

“So you want me to marry you just so you can adopt a baby?” He asked and I nodded. “Oh wow, you really are crazy, aren’t you?”

“I’m not,” I denied. “I just love kids, you know that. Come on, Frank, we’ve been best friends since we were babies. What’s the big deal about getting married?”

“You have to lie to the courts,” Frank said, turning off his game. “I would have to move in with you, we would have to hold hands and kiss and shit. Isn’t it technically illegal?”

“What’s illegal?” I asked. “We’re just gonna get married and then we’re gonna adopt a baby and then get a divorce.”

“Shit like that is expensive,” he said.

“Uncontested divorces are cheaper, only court fees,” I said.

“I don’t know what the fuck uncontested means,” he said.

“An amicable divorce, we both want divorces,” I said.

“You’ve been doing research on this already, haven't you?” Frank asked and I nodded. “Gerard, I’m not marrying you.”

“Come on, Frank, you’re my best friend, you have to marry me,” I said. “It’s in the brother code.”

“Bro code? Seriously?” He asked. “That’s for bros before hoes and ex girlfriends are off limits, not about us getting fucking married.”

“Remember that time when I went out on the double date with you while you were out with a hot guy and I went with his friend who ordered chili cheese fries and managed to get cheese on his glasses and then proceeded to lick it off his glasses?” I asked.

Frank shuddered at the thought. “I’m really sorry about that, dude. That guy really was a creep. But that doesn’t mean that I am going to marry you because of it. I’ll buy you a pizza.”

“Come on, wouldn’t you rather live at my place?” I asked. “You have a pretty shit apartment.”

“It’s not that bad,” he denied.

“Seriously, Frank, does your shower even work?” I asked.

“My landlord is working on it,” he said.

“Where have you been showering?” I asked.

“Sink shower,” Frank said with a shrug and I looked at him in confusion. “You know, just wash my hair, under the pits and under the balls.”

“You’re disgusting,” I said.

“You’re the one who wants to marry me,” he stated.

“Not like that, just to get a baby,” I said. 

“It can’t be that hard to get a kid, girls get accidentally knocked up all the time,” he said.

“Getting a baby as a guy is a little bit harder,” I said. “Not like I could go to the bar and just sleep with some random guy and get pregnant and get my baby.”

“I can’t marry you, Gerard” he denied.

“What do I have to do to get you to marry me?” I asked.

“Gerard, you’re ridiculous,” he said. “Are you drunk or something?”

“No,” I denied. “Just listen, it will be fine, okay? We’ll just get married and I can get my baby and then we can get a divorce.”

“It won’t be as easy as you’re making it sound,” he said. “It’s lots of paperwork and adoption is expensive--”

“I’m paying all that, you don’t have to do anything besides being legally married to me,” I said.

“Gay couples can’t even adopt children, it’s illegal,” he said.

“They can in New Jersey,” I said. “There are non-discrimination policies in New Jersey.”

“Gerard, come on, you cannot be serious,” he said. “Just try again--”

“I have,” I interrupted. “I have tried to do that, I have written letters, I have glowing recommendations. They don’t like to adopt out to single parents.”

I looked down, my eyes watering. 

“Gerard, come on, it’s gonna be okay,” he said. “It’ll be fine. You’ll meet someone that you’ll fall in love with and be able to marry for real, and you’re gonna have a child with her or adopt one with him.”

“I-I don’t want to wait any longer,” I whimpered. “You know I’ve always wanted a child and I’m turning thirty soon, I don’t want to wait, I want to be able to have a baby. I want to raise them and teach them to walk and talk and I want to hear their first words and listen to their little laughs.”

“And you will get that soon but in the meantime you can babysit you’re beautiful little newborn niece,” he said.

“I want my own baby, not a niece,” I said.

I sniffled quietly, my eyes watering.

“Gerard, it’s okay,” he said. “Come on, I’ll order you a pizza.”

“With extra cheese and pepperoni,” I said.

“Are you serious?” He asked. “You’re gonna make me buy two pizzas?”

“You won’t marry me,” I said.

Frank sighed, grabbing his phone before walking to the other room. I turned on the tv, pouting unhappily. There was some commercial about a happy family and I quickly changed the channel. Frank came back with a small smile, sitting beside me. 

“Come on, Gerard, it’s gonna be fine,” he said. “You’ll get a baby sooner than you might think.”

“You know I don’t do well when it comes to relationships,” I said. “How am I supposed to get a baby without a relationship? I’m shit at them.”

“People just aren’t used to you,” he said. “You’re weird, people just need to get used to your weirdness.”

“But they don’t and my relationships always end,” I said. “I just want a child. Remember when I used to always make you play with baby dolls with me even though you hated it?”

Frank snorted. “Yeah, I remember. And I know you’ve always wanted to be a dad but I can’t just marry you. There’s so many appointments and meetings and checks.”

“We’ll pass, we know everything about each other so it’s not like they wouldn’t believe we’re in love,” I said. “And I have a stable job which is good and you’re unemployed so it’ll be seen as good because you can stay home with the baby.”

“I’m not unemployed,” Frank denied. “I make music.”

“If you can call it that,” I teased. 

Frank scowled and hit me in the head with a pillow. 

“I’m serious, it would be perfect, you know I love you,” I said. 

“Yeah, platonically,” He said. “We can’t pretend to be in love romantically.”

“We just have to hold hands and occasionally kiss each other on the cheek or something,” I said. 

“And get legally bound to each other,” he said. 

“We’re each other’s emergency contacts anyways, what’s the big deal to just be legally bound? We’re already pretty much bound,” I said. 

“You’re crazy,” he said. 

“I’m not,” I denied. “I’m serious, Frank, we could do this and I could be happy.”

“What about my happiness?” He asked.

“You’ll be happy for helping out your bestest friend in the whole wide world,” I said.

Frank looked at me and rolled his eyes.

“You’re so fucking ridiculous,” he said but he laughed softly.

“What about you, Mr. Living Alone Until I Die?” I asked.

“I just don’t feel the need to date anyone,” he said. “What of it?”

“Maybe you’d actually really like to have a baby and you can start settling down for yourself,” I said.

“I don’t want to settle down,” he said. “You know families have never really been my thing. Settling down isn’t my thing.”

“Don’t know until you try it,” I said with a shrug.

“You say that about ice cream flavors, not whether or not to have a child,” he stated. “Gerard, you really need to think this shit over because this is serious, a baby is serious.”

“You know I’ve always wanted a baby,” I said. “I’ve thought about this for years already.”

“Yeah, I know you have and I know that you really want a baby and you’ll get that opportunity, you just have to wait a bit,’ he said.

“I am almost thirty, my clock is running out,” I said.

“You’re thirty, not fifty,” he said.

“Okay but even if I were to meet someone within the next few years we’d date for a few years and then get married and wait another year or two before even trying for kids,” I said. “And by then I could be forty and after forty the sperm quality begins to decline and it’ll be less likely for me to be able to conceive.”

“Jesus Christ, you’ve really thought about this?” Frank muttered and I nodded. “Fine then, Gerard, I guess I’ll marry you.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Didn’t think marriage involved so much paperwork,” Frank muttered as we looked over the rings in the case. “What are the cheapest?”

“Um, well, some are sold in sets but that’s usually made for male and female so one of the rings may be small,” the worker said. “These are the cheapest ones.”

He pulled out some rings and we tried them on. They were simple silver bands, some had small gems but we both got the cheapest ones we could find. We left the pawn shop and Frank sighed as we walked back to the house.

“I can’t believe I am actually married,” he said. “And to you of all people in the world.”

“Hey, you’re lucky to be married to me,” I said.

Frank snorted and looked around at the boxes in the foyer.

“We have to actually unpack this shit,” he said. “When’s the meeting?”

“In two days,” I said.

“Well, they’re probably gonna do a shit ton of home inspections so we should probably get this place looking nice,” Frank said.

We put his clothes into my closet, even though he was sleeping in the guest room. He was setting up his guitars when I stepped into the third bedroom. It was already transformed into a little nursery, I had put it together when I first started going to the adoption agencies in hopes that when they saw it they would be more lenient on giving me a child but they didn’t give me a home inspection before dismissing me.

“Gerard?” Frank asked.

I picked up one of the stuffed animals from the crib as I cried quietly, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“What if they see through all this?” i asked. “What if they blacklist me and I’m never going to have a child?”

“Gerard, it’s gonna be okay,” He said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “I promise I will be the most lovey dovey husband and I will get you the cutest little baby there is.”

I smiled, nodding my head.

“Ok, we need to put up some pictures,” he said. “Frame some pictures of us.”

“I’ll print them off later.” I said, setting the toy down and wiping my eyes. “We need to set up more of the little things, like our toothbrushes next to each other and I should know which one is your favorite mug and your favorite shoes.”

“We’ll get it all,” he said. “But we also need a story. They know you, you have to have a reason for how we would get married so quick.”

“Ok, well, we’ll tell them that we used to date in high school and college but we broke up so...so you could take care of your sick grandma who lives out of state,” I said. “And then you came back and we got back together and decided to get married.”

“Would that work?” He asked.

“I think it’s the most believable,” i said. “This would probably be best.”

“We’re gonna have to practice pretending to be a couple,” he said. “Isn’t that right, _Babe_?”

I cringed slightly, scrunching up my nose.

“Oh god, please don’t call me babe,” I said. “You sound like a fuckboy. And it’s weird having you call me any pet names.”

“But we at least need to throw in a couple sweethearts,” he said.

“Yeah,” I said. “Sure thing, _Honey_.”

“Yeah, okay, that does sound weird,” he said.

“We have to be prepared,” I said. “No matter how weird it is. We have to sell it, making it seem like we are actually in love with each other.”

“We’re gonna do it and I’m gonna get you that baby,” he said. “And I will kiss you right on the lips if I have to although I might throw up in my mouth a bit, no offense.”

“I might too thinking of all the other boys you kiss,” I said.

Frank snorted, twirling his wedding ring on his finger.

“It’s weird wearing this,” he said. “I’m not used to it.”

“Don’t lose it,” I said. “We need to show them that we’re married.”

“If we tell them that it’s lost then they’ll understand, plenty of people lose their wedding rings,” he said.

“But if you lose a wedding ring then what’s to stop you from losing a baby?” I asked.

“A baby is different than a little ring,” Frank said. “Don’t worry so much, okay? It’s gonna be fine, Gerard.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you, I seriously owe you big time after all of this is done,” I said. 

“You do,” he agreed. 

I smiled and looked around the nursery. The walls were white except for one wall that was grey with little clouds on them. Against that wall was the white crib with the pale green sheets that matched the fluffy pale green rug on the floor. Matching white furniture filled the room, including a rocking chair and a big white dresser that was nailed to the wall. The room was filled with toys and stuffed animals, all waiting to be played with.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“I-I think so,” I said. “I just want some coffee.”

“Alright, I’ll go make you some coffee then,” he said. “Will you unpack my CDs?”

I nodded and went downstairs.

“Make sure we don’t get ours mixed up,” I said. “We’re gonna have to split them up again when you move out and I really don’t want you taking any of my CDs with you.”

Frank chuckled and went to the kitchen.

“Alright, well, we’ll make sure that we get everything organized so that it’s easy when we want to split everything up,” he said.

I put his CDs onto the rack where mine were, making a mental note of where his started and mine ended. I put his little knick knacks around the house when he came over with a mug of coffee. I smiled and took it gratefully.

“Thank you,” I said. “All of this really means a lot to me.”

“Well, I am going to get you that baby and I am going to be the perfect fake husband for you,” he said.

“That is all I could ever ask for,” I said. “Thank you so much, Frank, you’re my best friend and I love you.”

He smiled and I bit my lip.

“Now, drink the damn coffee while it’s still hot or I’ll drink it because I’m not letting it go to waste after I just made it” he said.

“So damn pushy,” I muttered. “You would be a good dad.”

“Yeah, no,” he scoffed. “I’m probably not going to have kids. You know me, I’m not very good with all that family stuff. I don’t need to have kids or a family, I’m fine just in my little apartment with my guitar.

“Are you sure?” I asked and he nodded. “Well, if you ever did want to start a family then you would be a really amazing dad.”

Frank smiled before walking over to one of the other boxes that still needed to be unpacked.

“I’ll go out to get us some food later,” he said.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’ve been saying that a lot lately,” he said with a small chuckle.

“I know but I’m just really thankful for everything,” I said. “ All of this really means a lot to me and I know that this is a lot for you too, Frank. I mean, you’re legally married to me now and you’re gonna be putting up a lot of shit for me.”

“Y-you know that when the baby is adopted then I’m going to be the father, right?” he asked. “I’ll be signing the papers too, I’ll legally be counted as the child’s father.”

“That’s okay, when the divorce happens then you can give up rights to the child,” I said.

“Okay, good,” he said. “Because I don’t want to be paying child support or anything when I can barely keep up on my rent half the time.”

“Everything will work out, I thought this over about a million times before and everything does work out just fine,” I said.

“Alright, well, as long as you’ve thought everything through,” he mumbled.

“It’s a flawless plan, trust me,” I said.

“Yeah until you fall hopelessly in love with me while pretending to love me,” he said.

“Yeah right, like I’d ever love your greasy ass,” I muttered. “It sounds like the plot to some shitty, low-budget rom-com. Like those shitty, cheesy romance Christmas movies that play on the Hallmark channel every winter.”

“Oh, yeah, those do suck,” Frank agreed. “And they’re usually weird too it’s like, they have rival Christmas tree selling companies and the families are rivals but the twenty-seven year old kids on either family hate each other and fight before they passionately make out and keep it a secret and then when they tell the family they all just make up their hundred year rival and drink eggnog around the fireplace.”

Frank shuddered at the thought and I giggled. 

“Okay, on second thought please don’t fall in love with me,” he said. “I don’t want that.”

“Great because I won’t,” I said. “By the way, have you told your mom? Because they’re probably gonna need to interview her, you don’t have much other family.”

“How do you explain to your mom that you married your best friend to con an adoption agency?” He asked. 

“That’s basically exactly what I told my family,” I said. “You know Mikey told me congratulations. He thought we actually got married for real.”

“Seriously? Us?” He asked. “God, never.”

“And like I would settle for some courthouse wedding,” I muttered. “I would want a nice wedding.”

“I wouldn’t,” Frank said. “I would much rather just a courthouse wedding. It’s quick and easy and less hassle. And then after we could just go to the bar with some friends.”

“And yet you call yourself a hopeless romantic,” I scoffed. 

“I can love, doesn’t mean you have to make a big, expensive fuss over it,” he stated. 

“Well, your future husband or wife might not be happy with that,” I said. 

“And yet look at you, you’ve already had one courthouse marriage,” he said. 

“Well, just for the record, after this is over and we get divorced then I’m gonna tell people that I’ve never been married before and I’m not a divorcee,” I stated. 

“Fine by me, I planned on doing the same,” he stated. 

I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee before going over to help him unpack.


	3. Chapter 3

“Well, Gerard, this is rather unexpecting,” Bert McCracken said. 

He wasn’t really what you would expect when walk-in into an adoption agency. Amongst all the sweet ladies with rosy cheeks he was here. He had short blond hair and had a bright smile with tattoos on his neck that poked out the collar of his button up shirts and the sweaters he wore constantly. He reminded me a lot of Frank, in a way. 

“Yeah, it was unexpecting to all of us,” I said with a small chuckle. 

“So, What happened?” He asked. “What’s the story?”

“Well, Frankie and I have known each other for three longest time,” I said. “Our moms met in college and instantly became best friends and ended up living in houses right next to each other and were pregnant at almost the same time. But we’ve been best friends ever since we were born.”

“And in high school that all kind of changed,” Frank said. “His smile would make my heart flutter and his laugh was intoxicating, I couldn’t get enough of it. And we fell in love, we loved each other more than anything else.”

I smiled, reaching over to hold his hand. 

“Unfortunately I had to leave to take care of my sick grandma after college,” Frank said. “She lived down in Florida so I moved down there too and we decided to split up but I recently came back and there was just so many emotions and so much love and we didn’t want to wait any longer than we already had, we just wanted to marry each other and start our own family.”

“That’s really sweet,” Bert said. 

“Yeah, we’ve already spent too much time away,” Frank said. “We don’t want to waste any more time.”

I smiled, nodding my head. 

“And you guys just got married at a courthouse?” He asked. 

“Well, we thought about that and the fancy churches and catered food is nice and all but we really only needed each other,” Frank said. “As long as we were together it was perfect. We don’t need all the fancy things, we just need each other.”

“That is really sweet,” Bert said. “Now, this is a sort of weird situation, as you probably expect.”

“Yeah, of course,” I said. 

“But I’m glad to see that you’re happy together,” Bert said. 

“We are,” Frank said. “We are very happy together.”

“Well, That is really great,” Bert said. “What do you do for a living, Frank?”

“Well, I work in music,” Frank said. “But most of that is working from home so I am gonna be the stay at home dad and take care of our sweet little babies.”

“That’s good, a hard part new parents have is struggling to balance work and the kids and deciding who is staying home because you can’t just stop working altogether,” he said. “Having one person who is a stay at home dad is really good.”

I smiled, nodding my head. 

“Gerard is gonna be like our little sugar daddy, gonna take care of me and our baby,” Frank said and I blushed. 

“You have family?” He asked. 

“Well, my parents divorced when I was younger,” Frank said. “But I’m really close with my mom and my dad I’m close to but not as much as my mom. I have a half-sister but I haven’t really talked to her much.”

“Well, we will be needing to get into contact to interview them, as I’m sure Gerard told you,” he said. “I’m sure just your mom should be fine but I may need to get into contact with your father too.”

Frank nodded, biting his lip.

“So, Frank, are you as in love with babies and wanting a child as much as Frank?” Bert asked.

“Yeah, of course,” Frank agreed. “I’ve always wanted to be able to start my own family and have a bunch of little kids running around.”

“What are some of your best childhood memories?” he asked.

“Well, um, I think my best memory was when Gerard and I were seven,” he said. “It was a little bit after my parents got divorced and I had been pretty upset, obviously. And I had spent some time out of school but then one weekend Gerard’s dad came over and picked me up but didn’t tell me where we were going. He took me and Gerard to a baseball game and we sat on the stands and Donald let me just eat my heart out with ballpark food until I felt better and a ball went to the stands and Donald caught it and he let me keep it. And we got ice cream on the way home and Gerard and I fell asleep in the backseat and when we got home Donald carried me inside to bed.”

I looked over, smiling happily.

“And I’ve always wanted that too,” Frank said. “I have always wanted to be able to take my kid to a ball game and get ice cream afterwards.”

Bert smiled and wrote something down.

“What about worst memory?” He asked.

“My dad leaving,” Frank mumbled. “That’s why I know I’ve always wanted to marry someone that I know I would be with for the rest of my life and loved completely, I would never want my child to go through that pain like I did.”

“So I’m assuming you two have moved in together,” he said. “Where are you living?”

“My house,” I said. “Frank moved in with me.”

“How is the community there?” He asked. “How are the schools?”

“Oh, it’s a very good community,” I said. “The schools are amazing. The elementary schools are really good and the high schools are great too. They’re some of the best ranking in the state and the test results of students are all above the sixtieth percentile in the country. And there’s lots of different sports and art programs here too.”

Bert nodded, writing down in his little notebook again.

“What about health?” He asked. “I’ve already talked with Gerard about this. Are there any significant medical problems that your face? If so how does that affect your life?”

“No, I’m good,” Frank said. “Other than seasonal allergies in the spring I’m fine.”

“That’s good,” Bert said. “We will be doing a background check but is there anything you want to tell me beforehand? Any criminal records?”

“No, definitely not,” Frank denied.

“Good,” he said. “What age child were you two hoping to get?”

“I-I think we really wanted a baby,” I said. “A baby we can see on the day they’re born and be with for the rest of their life.”

“Have you thought about what cultural background of the baby you would prefer?” He asked.

“I-I would kind of like a baby who looks like me, or like us at least,” I said. “Because we can’t have a child biologically, obviously, but I would kind of like a baby that looks a little bit like us. I don’t have to, obviously, I would love any healthy baby.”

“Wait, we’re talking about whether or not we want a white baby?” Frank asked and I squeezed his hand in a warning.

“Yes,” Bert said. “Some people prefer to adopt from their own ethnicity and others want to adopt from others. It’s perfectly understandable to want to adopt a little baby that looks like you.”

“I think a baby who looks like Gerard would be beautiful,” Frank said.

“Preference of gender?” He asked.

“No, I don’t care as long as the baby is healthy,” I said. “A beautiful little boy or girl, I don’t care. I’ll love them so much. _We_ will love them so much.”

“We will,” Frank agreed. “They will be our sweet little angel that we will love and cherish forever.”

“Did you guys go on a honeymoon?” He asked.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly a honeymoon,” I said. “But we went on a little weekend to a hotel and just stayed in a nearby hotel where there was a spa and we got couple massages and just spent our time by the pool. Nothing fancy but it was nice, anything is perfect as long as we’re together.”

“Have you ever worked with other children, Frank?” Bert asked. “Gerard told me about how he used to work at a daycare part-time when he was in high school.”

“Um, well, I don’t have as much experience as Gerard but I have done some babysitting for friends and cousins and stuff like that,” Frank said. “So I have a bit of experience with children. I’m also certified in CPR.”

Bert smiled and wrote something down. Frank being certified was complete bull, he learned CPR in freshman health class of high school, almost ten years ago. If he was certified there’s no way he’s certified anymore and there’s a good chance that he never was in the first place.

“What about you, Gerard?” Bert asked. 

“Well, I’m not certified but I do know CPR,” I said. 

“Have either of you ever had to use it?” He asked.

We both shook our heads and he nodded.

“A lot of times people who are trained never end up using it,” Bert said. “What about your lives like growing up? What were they like?”

“Well, you know my parents went through a bit of a messy divorce,” Frank said. “But I was really close with my mom and I was close with Gerard’s family too and we were always having fun. My mom was an artist and we’d always be taking little day trips to the beach and to parks and on hikes so we can paint and take pictures and she would even bring along a little kid sized easel for me. We were always finding different ways to have fun.”

“It was like that for me too,” I agreed. “A little stricter than Linda, Frank’s mom, but still pretty good. They didn’t know a lot about art but always encouraged me with mine. And my brother and I would always just stay up late reading comics and quickly pretend to be asleep whenever our parents would come in. We loved it at our house.”

Bert smiled and wrote down more stuff.

“I think you two seem to make a really great couple,” he said. “And your backstory is so sweet. How are you adjusting to moving back from Florida, Frank?”

“It’s colder,” Frank said. “And it’s still pretty warm but I know it’s gonna get cold soon so I’m not exactly looking forward to the foot of snow.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure everyone would rather be in the Florida heat,” Bert said. “I’ll give you guys a call and get interviews with the family members. We’ll have to schedule the home inspection. I can come in on a saturday if you aren’t working, Gerard.”

“Yeah, that sounds perfect,” I said. “Any time is good.”

“Alright, so, how about Saturday at one?” Bert asked.

“Perfect,” Frank said. “We’ll see you then.”

We gave him the address and Frank gave him his mom’s information before we left, getting into the car.

“Jesus Christ, I can’t believe we actually pulled this off,” Frank muttered.

“I can,” I said. “I told you that everything would be perfect. This plan is perfect.”


	4. Chapter 4

“What are you wearing?” I asked.

Frank frowned and looked down at his hoodie that had ‘cunt’ written on it in white.

“Take that off,” I said. “Wear a sweater.”

Frank sighed and went upstairs before coming back with a dark blue sweater.

“Better?” He asked and I nodded. “Well, Bert should be here soon.”

I nodded, tidying everything up. Frank kept telling me that everything was fine but I was worrying too much, I felt a little bit sick almost. The doorbell rang and I nearly jumped out of my socks.

“Don’t worry, Gerard, this is gonna be fine,” he said.

I nodded and we went over to open the door. We smiled and shook hands with Bert as he stepped inside.

“So, I checked out the area and it seems pretty nice,” he said. “The schools are really nice, too. It’s a really good community.”

I nodded. “That’s a big reason why I moved here, the schools. And because it’s a really safe area.”

Bert nodded and looked around.

“Now, I just have a little checklist to go through and some questions,” he said, pulling out a clipboard. “Alright, well, can I see the kitchen?”

I nodded and led him in. He looked at the fridge and inside some of the drawers.

“I was gonna babyproof some of the cabinets and drawers that needed it,” I said. 

Bert nodded and looked out into the backyard.

“Pretty big backyard,” he said. “And it’s completely fenced in?”

“Yes,” I said.

We walked around the house and got up to the nursery.

“You have everything set up already?” He asked.

“Yeah, I-I just really want a child,” I said. “ _We_ want a child. And, well, you know I’ve already tried coming to the agency.”

Bert nodded and tested opening the window.

“Can I see the bathroom?” He asked.

We went into the bathroom and he looked around at the bathtub and the toilet, as well as under the sink to see what kind of dangerous cleaning products could possibly be kept there.

“Where do you keep your cleaning products?” he said.

“In the laundry room downstairs where the door is usually kept shut and I’ll put baby proofing on the cabinet when the baby starts walking or getting into things,” I said.

“Good,” he said. “Also toddlers may get into toilet paper too. Not usually dangerous but I don’t think you’ll enjoy cleaning up the mess.”

I smiled softly, nodding my head. 

“And I’m sure you know about other things like bathing and teeth brushing and things like that,” he said.

“Of course,” Frank said. “I’ll probably be doing most of the baths, Gerard gets really scared and overprotective and he always gets worried when bathing his niece because he’s scared that he might hurt her. I think it’s adorable, sweetheart.”

I forced a smile on my face as I looked at him and he kissed my cheek.

“I love you,” I said.

“Love you too,” Frank said with a mocking smile.

Thankfully Bert believed that it was all genuine, smiling as he watched us. 

“Do you keep any guns in the house?” He asked as we continued walking around.

“No, no guns,” I denied.

“I noticed that the coffee table downstairs is glass so you should be a little weary of that,” he said. “And you should get a baby gate for these stairs, you can never be too careful.”

I nodded as he looked at the guest bedroom where Frank was actually sleeping before going to the master bedroom.

“Will you two be having a rule that doesn’t allow kids in the master bedroom?” He asked. “I know some parents have that rule so they just have a private room.”

“No, they’ll be let in here,” I said.

“Alright, well, you want to make sure that the dresser in here is wall mounted too,” he said.

“I’ll make sure to do that tonight,” Frank said.

Bert smiled at the picture of the two of us on the dresser taken when we were kids at the park.

“What are your work hours, Gerard?” He asked.

“Typically nine to five on weekdays, pretty typical,” I said.

“Also, Frank, you need to make sure that your guitars are secured into stands or something so the baby doesn’t pull it on and make it fall on them,” Bert said. “They may not be that big but for a baby they’re heavy and can hurt them pretty bad, especially if it hits their head.”

“Yeah, we’re still getting a bit organized from moving in,” Frank said. “I’ll make sure that everything is set up fine so the baby doesn’t get hurt at all.”

“You two already know everything about baby formula and feeding schedules?” Bert asked as we walked downstairs.

“Of course,” Frank said.

Well, I do, he doesn’t.

He looked around again before finally finishing up the home inspection.

“This went really well,” Bert said. “Usually I have a list of things people need to fix and I need to tell them to get window screens and to mount dressers to walls and baby proof their shit. One time this one family literally just had a gun sitting on their coffee table and I had to chew them out.”

I smiled and Frank held my hand.

“Well, I am going to get into contact with your family for their interviews and then if that goes well, which I’m sure they will, then I am going to start looking for a couple for you two,” he said.

“So we’ll just find a pregnant lady and get their baby?” Frank asked.

“Well, it isn’t quite that simple,” he said. “The mom--or both parents if the father is involved--will want to meet with you and interview you along with other couples who are interested and they will choose which couple they like the most to give their baby too.”

“So it’s like Hell’s Kitchen but with babies,” Frank said.

I raised my eyebrows and Bert snickered.

“Well, it’s not as dramatic but I guess in a way,” he said. “I’ll be in touch with you two later, have a nice day.”

Bert left and I sighed in relief, falling back on the couch.

“I thought that was going to be so much worse,” I said. “I was so fucking worried, oh my god.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Also, can I borrow your doc martens?”

“Why do you need them?” I asked.

“I have a date,” Frank stated.

“Oh, yeah, you can wear them,” I said. “Is this a serious date?”

“No, just a Grindr date,” he said. “Just some drinks and taking him back home to fuck him.”

“Not in my house,” I said.

“I don’t have an apartment anymore and he said he has a roommate he isn’t out to,” Frank stated. “I’m getting you a baby.”

“Fine just be quiet when you come in because I might be sleeping and please keep it down,” I said.

“Will do,” he said.

“And please be careful so you don’t get caught by Bert or something,” I said.

“Yeah, I’m not dumb,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and he took off his sweater, revealing the expanse of beautiful tattoos on his chest. I was always jealous, I wish I could get tattoos but I’m too scared of needles but I think they’re so beautiful.

“So, how much longer will this take?” Frank asked.

“Probably two or three weeks until the family interviews are done and then finding someone nearby who’s pregnant and putting their baby up for adoption,” I said.

“Well, I’ve got some time to pass before I get some ass,” he said, looking at his watch while snickering and I knew it was because it rhymed. “I’m gonna write a song with that title, Got Time to Pass Before I Get Some Ass.”

I smiled, running a hand through my hair.

“Will you get your guitars set up?” I asked. “Where’s that one stand that you used to have? The one that was a big rectangle and held multiple guitars and made of wood.”

“It’s at my mom’s because it just didn’t fit well in the apartment,” he said.

“Get it because I don’t like those little tripod standing ones, the baby will be able to pull it down,” I said.

“How long are we going to have to be together?” He asked.

“I don’t know yet, it depends on how long the after-adopting interviews and stuff like that takes,” I said.

Frank nodded, going upstairs before coming back in a t-shirt.

“I almost forgot to make the bed in the guest room this morning,” he said. “It’s a good thing he didn’t figure out that’s where I sleep.”

I turned on the tv, my stomach still twisting a bit nervously but it was starting to calm down.

“I’m gonna go make some coffee, you want some?” He asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Thank you.”

Frank walked off to the kitchen and I looked nervously at some of his things in the corner. So much mess, so much for my baby to get into.

“I told my mom about what we were doing and she agreed to it but told me it’s completely ridiculous,” he said. 

I nodded, eyeing the mess.

“Oh calm down, I’ll get it sorted out before the baby comes,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about the baby getting hurt because I will have my shit organized by then.”

Frank handed me my coffee and I sighed. 

“What if it doesn’t work?” I asked.

“Are you kidding me? We’ve already gotten through the hardest part,” he said. “It’s gonna be fine, we’ve got this.”

“Yeah, we do,” I mumbled. “But—“

“No more buts,” Frank said. “Well, except the one I’m getting tonight.”

“No more butt jokes,” I said. 

“But I think he would have a nice butt, he’s pretty cute in his profile pictures,” he said. 

“Just letting you know now that once the baby is here you aren’t allowed to bring home your one night stands,” I said.

“Yeah, well, whatever,” he muttered. “Either way I think a crying baby would probably kill the mood. Are you sure you’re ready to completely care for a baby?”

“I am,” I stated. “Trust me.”

“Alright, well, I’m gonna go take a shower,” he said. “Because I’m gonna get some cute ass.”

I chuckled as Frank walked out, going upstairs and leaving me here to worry about the mess again.


	5. Chapter 5

I was sat in the kitchen with my coffee when Frank came down in his boxer briefs. 

“I thought I said I didn’t want to hear it,” I stated.

“You heard?” He asked, pouring himself coffee. 

“Are you kidding me? You two were going at it like rabbits and he sure as hell wasnt being quiet,” I said. 

“Sorry,” Frank said with a small shrug.

I sighed, picking up the newspaper. He poured himself some cereal as I heard more footsteps coming downstairs and a young guy came down in just a pair of tight men’s thongs. 

“Oh my god,” I gasped, covering my eyes. “Can you two please wear clothes in my kitchen?”

“Sorry, I didn’t know Frank doesn’t live alone,” the guy said. 

He left and I uncovered my eyes and he finally came back down completely dressed. He gave Frank a kiss before grabbing a bowl and pouring cereal. 

“Just help yourself, why don’t you,” I muttered. 

Frank sat next to me at the circle table, munching loudly on his cereal. 

“Seriously?” I asked. 

Frank raised his eyebrows and wiped his mouth when milk dribbled down his cheek. 

“You’re disgusting,” I mumbled. 

Frank shrugged as the other boy sat down. 

“What ever happened to normal one night stands?” I asked. “Now you’re eating breakfast together?”

“You don’t have to be so cold hearted,” Frank said. 

“Oh yeah, I’m the cold hearted one,” I snorted. “Says Mr. I’m Gonna Die Alone.”

“Well, you’re the dumbass that married me,” he said. 

“Wait, y-you’re married?” The boy asked as he paled a bit. 

I waved my hand but he seemed confused. 

“It’s alright,” I said. 

Frank smiled and gave the boy a kiss on the cheek. He thankfully didn’t stay long and I sighed in relief when the door finally shut.

“Good, I didn’t think he was ever gonna leave,” I said. “No more bringing people home.”

“Hey, you just said no bringing people home once the baby is here,” Frank stated. “And I’ll play by that rule.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

“You’re seriously ridiculous,” I said. “God, how am I gonna put up with you?”

“I’m gonna have to put up with you and your controlling ass,” he said. “This is a lose-lose situation. But I guess you’re getting a baby so that’s a win for you. A lose-lose-win situation. And I get to hold this against you, but also the court shit but you’ll have a family and I’ll have to find another apartment. Okay, so this is a lose-lose-win-win-tie-win-lose situation.”

“You sound drunk and it’s only ten in the morning,” I said.

“Maybe I was just so drunk yesterday that I’m still a little drunk now,” he said.

“Okay, whatever,” I muttered. “How many times of calling you ridiculous in one day is too much?”

“One,” he stated.

“Ridiculous,” I mumbled.

Frank snickered and finished eating, dumping his bowl into the empty sink.

“Wash that, I’m not your maid,” I stated.

“What’s the point of having a husband then?” Frank muttered.

I sighed and stood up, rolling up my newspaper before lighty swatting him on the back of his head with it.

“Okay, Okay, I’m washing,” he said. “Geez.”

I smirked and set the paper down onto the counter.

“Is this a bad time to tell you that I’m bringing a girl home tonight?” He asked.

“A sunday?” I asked. “Seriously? You can’t keep me up when I have to work the next day.”

“We’ll be quiet this time, I promise,” he said.

“Yeah right,” I said. 

I went over and fixed the cushions on the couch. They were all knocked askew, most likely from a late night make out session with Frank and his boy toy. They even left beer on the coffee table, which I left for Frank to clean up. I straightened his shoes out by the door but when I looked back at the coffee table I couldn’t help myself before I cleaned up that mess too.

“You’re so controlling,” he said. “And like a neat-freak. When we were a kid half the time of our playdates was just us cleaning and organizing your toys.”

“Whatever,” I said. “You were a total mess, you were always covered in dirt.”

“How is it that we’re both complete opposites yet we still manage to tolerate each other?” Frank asked.

“You know what they say, opposites attract,” I said.

“I guess,” he said. “In high school when we would hang out in my room you would just clean and organize my room.”

I blushed, looking down at my wedding ring. I was still trying to get used to wearing it but it was still weird. Frank wore rings a lot but I didn’t and it was odd. I grabbed the broom and began sweeping up the floors, ignoring Frank’s small mocking.

“There’s nothing wrong with being neat,” I said. 

Frank rolled his eyes and I smiled.

“At least I’m not a pig,” I said. 

“Hey, pigs are cute,” Frank said. 

I shook my head and kept working. When I was content with everything I sat down beside him on the couch. 

“Done?” He asked and I nodded. “Good, I’m getting tired just watching you clean. All the vacuuming is giving me a headache, honestly. Besides, I need someone to listen to a song for me.”

“A new one?” I asked. 

Frank nodded and grabbed his guitar before he started playing. 

“It’s truth, not lies that hurts the ones we love,” he sang. “So i tried my best to be good enough.”

I smiled as he played but it was a bit rough and he tripped over a chord at one point. 

“In the actual song it’s gonna be harder and less soft,” he said. 

“You’re an ass but you’re talented,” I said. 

“Thank you,” He said. 

“It’s rough but definitely getting there,” I said. “Although some of the lyrics sound a bit funny, I would maybe change them up a bit.”

“Thanks,” He said. “I’m glad I have you to bounce ideas off of, not to get all sappy.”

“I’m your husband now, you get to be a little sappy,” I said. 

“Those words sound weird, I never thought I would be anyone’s husband,” he said. 

“Well, now you’re mine and I’m gonna get a sweet little baby,” I said. “I can’t wait.”

“Boy or girl?” He asked. 

“I don’t care, I’ve just wanted a baby for so long that I don’t care if they’re a boy or a girl,” i said. 

“I hope you get a boy that is as nit picky as you so you can see how much of an ass you are,” Frank said. 

“Oh shut up,” I said. “Any more teasing and we’re gonna end up looking like an old married couple.”

Frank smiled and set his guitar down. He put away his song book, which I knew he was very protective over, I think he loved that book more than anything else in the world, maybe even more than me. It was an old book and pages were running scarce, he only put finalized or near finalized songs in there to save space. His grandpa gave him the book before he passed away, it used to be his own.

“I can try and get you a new notebook, you’re almost out of them,” I said.

“No, this is my special book,” he denied. “It’s okay, I don’t need another one.”

“Alright,” I said. “Whatever you say.”

“Thank you but it’s alright, I promise,” he said. “You know this notebook means a lot to me and I just don’t want to replace it.”

“It wouldn’t be replacing it, just adding onto it,” I said.

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

My phone rang and I grinned when I saw it was Bert.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hey, I know it’s soon but I do have the meeting with Frank’s mom tomorrow and that’ll be the last of it,” he said. “But I’m already sure that it’s going to go perfect, you two are one of the best, most connected couples we have ever had. There is a pregnant lady who is looking for a family and I want you two to come in for a meeting with them.”

“A-are you serious?” I asked. “You’re gonna let me?” 

“Of course, you two are perfect candidates,” Bert said. “A happy, loving couple.”

“Oh my god, yes, thank you so much,” I said. 

“How is Wednesday at one?” He asked. “I can email you the address.”

“That’s perfect,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

I hung up and Frank looked at me curiously. 

“I got a meeting with some parents,” I said. “I-I might be able to get my baby.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Frank said. 

“I know but this just happened sooner than I thought and I’m excited,” I said. “I just wanna get my little baby.”

“I know but if you get let down you know you’re gonna get your heart broken,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “I just wish that I had my baby now. I want to love them and care for them.”

“And you will but you should really just chill because seriously, you are going to be an amazing father,” he said. “It’s okay if you wait a bit for the baby because if you get them in a month or in a year it’s still gonna be perfect and you’re gonna be amazing.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Seriously, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without you.”

“I know and you seriously owe me for this because they say marriage and divorce are some of the most stressful things and I’m gonna go through both,” he said.

“It’s gonna be a bit easier, we both know what’s going to happen and what we want,” I said. 

“You have to help me find a new apartment after this,” he said. “I don’t my old one is still gonna be empty by the time that we’re done.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind helping you” I said. “I know you’re sacrificing a lot just to marry me and help me get a child. Thank you.”


	6. Chapter 6

“Hi, I’m Gerard and this is my husband, Frank,” I said.

“I’m Jenna,” the girl said.

She was pretty with blond hair and a round stomach.

“Thank you so much for letting us come in here and meet you today,” I said. “It really means a lot to us.”

“Of course, Bert says you’re a great a great couple and I wanted to see this for myself,” she said. “Well, I’m twenty-three and fifteen weeks pregnant with identical twins.”

“Identical twins?” I gasped.

“Boys or girls?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know the genders yet, I’ll find out in a few weeks,” she said. 

“I’m sure anyone would be really excited to have identical twins,” Frank said.

“I have lots of prospective parents,” Jenna said. “Well, tell me a little bit about yourselves.”

“Well, we were basically destined to be together,” I said. “Our moms were best friends and moved in near each other. We were born at almost the same time, just a few months apart. So we were best friends ever since we were born. And we were best friends but ended up falling in love and we got married and here we are now, looking for a child to start off our little family.”

“How was the wedding?” She asked.

“We got married in a courthouse,” Frank said. “We didn’t need to have a big fancy wedding, we just needed the two of us together, that’s all that matters.”

I smiled and reached over to hold his hand.

“Oh, that is so sweet,” Jenna said. “Bert told me you’re a musician.”

“Yes, I am,” Frank confirmed. “I love music, it’s basically my whole life, other than Gerard. I can just imagine myself at night, singing my little child to sleep.”

“I looked up some of your music and I hope you’re not singing that to them,” she said with a chuckle.

Frank laughed. “No, my mom used to always sing to me when I was younger too. She used to sing John Lennon’s Beautiful Boy to me every night before bed. I always imagined being able to sing it to my son--or daughter, just change up the lyrics a bit, maybe.”

“I love that song, I think it’s beautiful,” Jenna said. “I’m a pretty big Beatles fan myself, if I’m honest.”

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked and she nodded. “Why are you giving this child away?”

“I just got out of college and I’m starting a new job,” she said. “Accidentally got pregnant from a one night stand. I’m just not ready to have a child but I didn’t want to have an abortion so I was going to give this baby up for adoption.”

I nodded and Frank’s thumb rubbed over the back of my hand. It didn’t seem like he realized he was doing it but it was surprisingly comforting.

“So, I heard you already had the nursery set up,” she said.

“We do, I’ve been wanting a child for a long time and I wanted to make sure that everything was perfect,” I said.

“That’s nice,” she said. “Although, I think I should admit that you’re my last meeting, Bert set it up rather last minute. I have ten other parents wanting my babies. Why should you get them?”

“I would love them so much, care for them until my whole being couldn’t care anymore,” I said. “I’ve always wanted to be a dad and I always played with dolls because I just wanted to be a dad, I’ve always wanted to take care of a little baby and love them.”

“That’s sweet,” she said.

“It’s all true, I just really want to be a father,” I stated. “And my Frankie does too, he wants a baby too.”

“I do,” Frank agreed. “Someone to teach guitar to and show all the coolest bands.”

“You can support a child financially?” She asked. “Two children, actually.”

“I can, I work as a manager where I make rather good money,” I said. “I can support them.”

“That’s good, do you have college debt?” She asked. “I know I have almost a hundred thousand in debt so I’m struggling.”

“I only have about ten thousand left,” I said. “I should be able to pay it off within the next five years.”

“That’s good,” she said. “Debt is hard, didn’t know when I was gonna be a nurse that I would have to see a doctor for my back-breaking debt.”

I chuckled softly and Frank leaned over to kiss my cheek. I almost cringed away out of instinct but remembered we had to pretend to be totally in love. The interview went perfectly and after I was practically glowing with happiness.

“It went amazing,” I said. “Thank you so much, Frank.”

“Of course, we’re already in this far,” he said. “We might as well go all the way. Too far to back out now.”

“Thank you,” I repeated.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

“It’s weird having you call it your home,” I said.

I drove us back but was still buzzing with excitement.

“I really want identical twins,” I said. “Imagine how cute they would be dressed in matching clothes. Imagine the cute baby photos!”

My phone rang and my heart skipped a beat when I saw it was Bert. 

“He’s calling already,” I said.

I answered, my heart nearly falling out of my chest.

“Jenna already made a decision, she doesn’t want to wait anymore,” he said. “I’m sorry but she chose a different family.”

My stomach dropped, my throat going dry.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice cracking. “F-for the opportunity.”

“There is another mother you can have a meeting with, I’ll call you back as soon as I can,” he said.

He hung up and I sniffled, tossing the phone aside.

“I’m sorry, I know you were really excited about twins,” Frank said.

“I was,” I mumbled.

I laid on the couch and Frank sat beside me, running his fingers through my hair.

“I-I just want my baby,” I whimpered. “I want a child, I love children.”

Frank comforted me, holding my hand tight.

“Is now a bad time to say that I have to go get ready for my date?” He asked.

“I little but go ahead,” I said.

Frank got up and I heard the shower start up. He was soon down and dressed, ready to go on his date.

“I’ll be back late so don’t wait up,” Frank said.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I mumbled.

“Hey, Gerard, it’s gonna be okay,” Frank said softly. “This was just one mother, one girl. Your first one. It’s gonna be okay.”

I nodded as he left. Despite his words I was still upset, I began cleaning to keep myself occupied. It went for hours until Frank got home at about ten, earlier than expected.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” I asked.

He came in, towing behind a girl in a short dress behind him. Frank looked around at the spotless house that was practically sparkling.

“What...what have you been doing?” He asked. “Gerard, stop it, stop cleaning. You shouldn’t do this to yourself.”

“Wh-why are you here so early?” I whimpered.

“Um, well, there was a bit of a problem,” he said. “I ran into Bert at the bar.”

“You didn’t,” I mumbled. “Seriously, Frank, you probably just ruined everything, I’m never gonna have a child now.”

“I told him that she was my cousin and I lost my wedding ring,” he said. “I-I don’t know how well it went over with him.”

“You have got to be shitting me,” I muttered.

I broke down crying again and Frank held me in his arms while the girl stood by a little awkwardly.

“No, no, it’s okay,” he said. “It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna get a little baby soon, I can promise you that.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Can you tell her to leave?”

“Do I have to?” He asked.

“I don’t want her in my house,” I said. “She’s part of the problem that could’ve ruined everything.”

“Fine,” Frank said. “I’m sorry, Alicia, can you please go?”

The girl seemed a little annoyed but left anyways.

“Frank, fix this,” I said. “You cannot ruin this for me because Bert thinks you’re having an affair. He’ll never let me adopt a child if you’re having an affair.”

“I’ll fix it,” he said. “You should also call to confirm that she was just my cousin. Tell him about how nitpicky you are and that you took my ring while I was in the shower to have it cleaned without telling me.”

“Fine but no more dates,” I said.

“What--where am I supposed to get ass from?” he asked.

“Are you shitting me?” I mumbled. “You don’t. No more, we can’t risk getting caught again. You promised me a child, we can’t go through all of this just to never have a child. You promised me.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” he said. “I was shit and I am sorry because I really shouldn’t have gotten caught. I really didn’t mean to fuck anything up...it was just me being dumb and wanting to have sex. I didn’t even think of what might happen if I were to run into bert at all because I just imagine him always surrounded by babies and not at bars.”

“I know you didn’t mean to,” I mumbled. “But if you ruined it then I’ll be really pissed.”

“So much that you wouldn’t talk to me anymore?” Frank asked.

He actually looked a little nervous as he looked at me.

“I couldn’t not speak to you,” I said. “You’re my goddamn husband.”

“I love you,” he said.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” I mumbled.

“I know, I’m the worst,” Frank agreed but had a small smile on his face. “But I really am sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

I nodded and he gave me a hug before I stood up.

“It’s too late to call Bert,” I muttered, looking at the time on my phone. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry,” Frank said again.

I nodded before going upstairs to fall asleep in bed.


	7. Chapter 7

If there’s one thing I hate it’s being late. Frank really wasn’t helping when he stepped out of the shower ten minutes late with the excuse that he jacked off. I, Of course, had to repress the urge to slap him. We were married now, that’s domestic abuse. 

“I swear—“

“You can’t keep complaining, what’s done is done and we can’t change the fact that we are a whole two minutes late,” Frank said as we walked inside. 

We walked into a room holding hands where I girl sat. 

“No,” she denied. 

“What?” Bert asked. “No what?”

“I won’t let a gay couple adopt my child,” she stated. 

“I’m not gay, I’m bi,” Frank said. “So’s Gerard. We’re not gay.”

“I’m not letting you adopt this baby,” she stated. 

“Ma’am, really, you shouldn’t—“

Bert was interrupted when she stood up. 

“This meeting is done,” she stated. 

The lady left and my heart shattered down into my feet. Frank gave my hand a squeeze as my eyes watered. 

“Oh no,” Bert muttered. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Frank said. “Some people are just ignorant.”

“I usually give a file on the parents beforehand but this time I didn’t, I just forgot,” he said. “You guys shouldn’t have had to go through this. It was...she’s not the nicest, I knew that but didn’t know she would do this.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “We should get home, Frank’s cousin is in town. You met her at the bar, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bert said. “I did meet her, not much of a talker.”

“She’s shy,” Frank said. 

“You found your wedding ring,” he remarked. 

“I took it,” I explained. “I snatched it to get it cleaned, I don’t really like mess.”

“He’s a bit OCD,” Frank said and I scowled at him. 

“I just like things neat,” I said. 

“Babies aren’t neat,” Bert pointed out. 

“I know and that’s okay,” I said. 

“Well, I have to admit I was suspicious of an affair but you two are really the most perfect couple I’ve ever met,” Bert said. 

“Thank you,” I said. 

“I’m really sorry again for this,” Bert said. 

“It’s okay, we get it a lot,” Frank said. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go home.”

I sniffled and nodded. 

“There’s actually a girl here today, why don’t you meet her,” Bert suggested. “Let me go see if she can fit you in.”

Bert left us in his office but Frank didn’t let go of my hand. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “Please don’t cry, you know it upsets me when you cry.”

“I’m trying not to,” I mumbled. 

Bert stepped back in and smiled. 

“Come over,” he said. 

We followed him to another small meeting room where there was a teenage girl and her mom. 

“Hi, I’m Frank and this is my husband Gerard, thank you for seeing us,” Frank said. 

“I’m Jamia,” the girl said. 

“How old are you?” I asked. 

“Sixteen,” she replied. 

We sat down on the couch across from her. 

“How far along?” I asked. 

“Twenty weeks,” she mumbled. 

Jamia was obviously pretty shy as she looked down nervously. 

“How are you feeling?” I asked. “Do you know the gender?”

“It’s a girl,” she said, resting a hand on her round stomach. 

“A girl,” I breathed with a small smile. “You’re feeling okay?”

“Better now,” she said. 

“We have one thing with this,” her mom said. “We can’t afford the medical bills and need you to pay for half.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I said. 

I had fully expected to pay for the bills so only paying half is good. 

“Well, I’m a musician,” Frank said. “Gerard just works a boring office job.”

“Musician?” Jamia asked curiously. 

“Yeah, I’ve got one album out,” he said. “It’s called stomachaches.”

“Sounds cool,” she said. 

“You into music?” Frank asked and she nodded. “What’s your favorite band?”

“Misfits,” she said. 

“No way, that’s my favorite band too,” he said. 

“Really?” Jamia asked, seeming to open up a bit more now. “What’s your favorite—“

“You can financially support a child?” Her mom interrupted. 

“I can,” I said. “My job makes six figures, enough to support a little girl.”

“That’s good,” her mom said. “How long have you two been together?”

“We’ve been best friends since birth but started dating in high school,” I said. 

“How many interviews have you had?” She asked.

“Only two so far,” I said.

“I pick them,” Jamia said and my heart soared.

“Jamia, maybe you should think about this longer--”

“I want them,” she stated, smiling at Frank. “I think that they would make really amazing dads.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

“I’ll get forms,” Bert said.

He left us alone and my cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much.

“No offense to you both but shouldn’t you think this over more, Jamia?” She asked.

“I like them, mom,” Jamia said. “They’re nice and can support the kid.”

“Alright, I guess it’s your choice,” she said.

“Thank you, really, this means so much,” I said, my eyes watering. 

“Oh, don’t cry,” Frank said as he held my hand. “It’s okay, don’t cry.”

Bert came in and we filled out some paperwork.

“There will be a contract that needs to be signed that I’ll have written up,” Bert said. “Jamia and Mrs. Nestor, you’ll both sign as parent of adoptee and parent of a minor. Mr. and Mr. Iero-Way, you’ll both sign as parents.”

“It’s not Iero-Way,” Frank clarified. “We kept our own names, work and professional music business reasons.”

“Oh, my bad,” he said. 

We filled out the paperwork and I smiled, giving Jamia a hug.

“Thank you so much,” I said. “C-can we take you two out for lunch?”

Jamia looked at her mom excitedly and Mrs. Nestor nodded. We went to a nearby restaurant and sat down in a little booth.

“What’s your favorite Misfits song?” Jamia asked.

“Um, maybe Some Kinda Hate,” Frank said.

“That’s a good song,” she said. “I like Astro Zombies the best. That or London Dungeon.”

“Good choices,” Frank said. “I’ve always wanted to do a cover of Astro Zombies on one of my albums.”

“You should,” she said. “What’s the name if your band? I’ll check out some of your music.”

“My first album is under the name Frnk Iero andthe Cellebration,” he said. “I’m thinking of changing it up a little bit for my next album.”

“Really?” Jamia asked.

Frank nodded as the waitress came over. We ordered our food and thankfully Jamia seemed to be opening up more now.

“You play an instrument? Frank asked.

“If I had a nickel for every headache that I got from her playing her drums then I would be a millionaire,” Mrs. Nestor said.

“Drums, very badass,” Frank said and Jamia smiled proudly. “My dad and grandpa tried to get me into drums but I’ve always been more of a guitar person, myself.”

“Maybe we can play sometime,” Jamia said. “Music is good for the baby and I’m sure she’s tired of just hearing drums all the time, she might want to mix it up a bit with guitar.”

“Speaking of, do you have an ultrasound picture?” I asked. 

Mrs. Nestor pulled it out of her purse and gave it to me. 

“Oh wow,” Frank mumbled as he looked over my shoulder. 

“That’s our little girl,” I said. 

“You can see the head and the fingers and everything,” he said. “That’s so cool. How big is she?”

“The size of a banana,” Jamia said. 

“How has the morning sickness been? You haven’t been too bad, have you?” I asked. 

“It’s better now that I’m in the second trimester,” she said. “You guys can come to my next appointment, I’ll text you the date.”

“Thank you,” I said. 

We ate happily as we talked, most conversation between Jamia and frank while her mom and I tried to make little conversation. Turns out Jamia accidentally got pregnant after she went to a party and had sex when the condom broke. The dad was apparently quarterback of the football team as well as an honors student so hopefully the baby will get good genes. 

“Wanna feel the baby kick?” Jamia asked when we walked out. “She’s always active after I eat.”

We put our hands on her stomach and grinned. 

“That’s rad,” Frank said, making Jamia chuckle.

My eyes began watering again and Frank rubbed my back. 

“I’m sorry, I’m just getting a little emotional,” I mumbled. “That’s my little girl in there. She’s really gonna be mine. She’s ours, our sweet, beautiful little girl.”

“Babe, If you cry then I’ll cry,” Frank said. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” I laughed. “Just emotional, I never really thought that I would be able to have a child but here she is. She’s my daughter. Little Donna.”

“You’re not naming our baby Donna,” Frank denied. 

“After my mom,” I said. 

“No, not naming our baby Donna,” he stated. “You can’t name a baby Donna, people named Donna are always forty year olds who work in accounting.”

“What do you think we should name her then?” I asked. 

“Princess Beyoncé the Third,” Frank said. 

“You are absolutely ridiculous,” I said. 

“I think it’s rad,” Jamia said. 

I sighed and pulled my hand away from her stomach. 

“We should get going,” I said. 

Frank nodded and we went back over to the car. We drove back home and Frank’s phone buzzed.

“Jamia just sent me a band recommendation,” he said. 

“I think someone has a little schoolgirl crush,” I said. 

“She doesn’t,” he denied. 

“Come on, it’s cute,” I said. “She really likes that you’re a musician. But she chose us, I’m actually going to get a baby.” 

“But you’re gonna need to choose a different name,” he said. “You can’t name a baby Donna.”

“Fine, I’ll choose a different name,” I said. “I also really like the name Bandit.”

“Bandit?” Frank asked. “I think it’s badass. I like it.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “Bandit. Bandit Way.”

“I think that sounds awesome,” Frank said. “Where’d you think of it?”

I shrugged, sitting down on the couch as I looked at the little ultrasound picture. 

“Look at her,” I mumbled. “That’s my little girl.”

Frank sat beside me, resting his head on my shoulder as he looked with me.


	8. Chapter 8

I smiled when I walked into the doctor's room. Jamia smiled, waving excitedly. 

“Hi, Frank,” she said. “Hi, Gerard.”

“Hey, sweetheart, how you feeling?” I asked. 

“Twenty-eight weeks pregnant and huge,” she said. 

“You still look as gorgeous as ever,” I said. “Hello, Mrs. Nestor.”

She smiled, shaking our hands. 

“Well, time to see if this baby has three heads,” Frank said and I swatted his shoulder. “I’m joking, Babe.”

“Not funny,” I said. “Bandit is gonna be perfectly healthy.”

“Bandit, that’s a cute name,” Jamia said. 

“Thank you, I bet we’re gonna have a real cute baby to go with it,” Frank said.

Jamia blushed and looked down as the doctor walked in, allowing me to swat his shoulder when no one was paying attention.

“Full room today,” she said. “You must be the adopting parents. Hi, I’m Dr. Yeragani.”

I smiled and shook her hand. 

“I’m Gerard, this is Frank,” I said. 

“Nice to meet you two,” she said. “How are you doing, Jamia?”

“I’m good,” she said. “Back has been hurting.”

“Well, let’s take a look at our little girl,” the doctor said. 

She pulled out the ultrasound machine and started it up. 

“Wow,” I gasped. 

“Is that a heartbeat? Her heartbeat?” Frank asked at the little rhythmic thump sounds. 

“It is,” the doctor said. she said. “And it is going nice and strong.”

“There’s no problems?” I asked.

“Nope, everything is looking perfect,” she said. “All the tests have been going great.”

“That’s so good,” I said. 

Mrs. Nestor’s phone rang and she went to the hall to answer it.

“It’s a work thing,” she said when she walked back in. “I have to get going.”

“We can give you a ride home, Mia,” Frank said.

“Mia?” Jamia asked with a small blush.

“Thank you so much,” she said, giving me a hug.

Mrs. Nestor gave Jamia a hug before she took her purse and left.

“How big is she?” I asked.

“The size of an eggplant, just about a foot in length,” she said.

“Oh wow, that’s so cool,” Frank said. “Babe, looks like the outfit you bought will fit, I thought she might’ve been a little small for it.”

“I told you I know the size of newborns,” I said.

Frank chuckled and nodded his head. I had gotten excited about a little baby girl and went clothes shopping, buying the cutest little onesies with little tutus attached to it. My favorite was a baby bodysuit that said ‘I love my dad’ in curly pink letters.

“Guess you’re more of the baby expert than me,” he said.

Frank smiled at me, a small glint in his green eyes.

“When was the baby’s due date again?” Frank asked.

“December twentieth,” Jamia said.

“Oh shit, so it’s right before Christmas,” he said.

“It’s our own little Christmas present after trying to get a baby for so long,” I said. “And I’ve got just over a week off for christmas and New Year’s so the timing will be perfect since I’m out of work to help stay home and take care of the baby.”

“I’m sure you have been talked to by the agency so I don’t need to go over the ins and outs of child raising, especially with the newborn,” Dr. Yeragani said.

“We have, we’ve been preparing for a long time,” I said. “We are both very excited to have a child.”

“And they have the coolest name picked out,” Jamia said. “It’s Bandit, I think that’s super rad.”

“Definitely unique,” the doctor agreed.

I nodded. “I think that it’ll be unique and creative.”

“I’ll get to have medicine right?” Jamia asked.

“Of course, sweetheart,” she said.

“Good, that’s the scariest part of all of this,” she said. “I’ve heard it takes a long time. Like, it can take days.”

“It depends all on the girl,” she said. “First time labors usually are a little bit longer but it doesn’t typically take days. Of course, there are exceptions where it has happened.”

We finished the appointment and went down to get into the car.

“So, we were wondering if we would be allowed to be in the delivery room with you when the baby is born,” I said as Frank drove. “We want to be able to be there for our daughter’s first moments.”

“That’s okay just as long as you two stay up by my head,” she said. “You don’t need a full peep show while I’m being ripped in half. That’s gross, I don’t even want to see that and it’s my own cooch.”

Frank snorted, pulling over into the driveway of her house. It was small and a soccer net was in the front yard where a young boy was practicing. 

“Okay, sweetheart,” he said. “We’re here.”

“I’ll see you two at the next appointment,” she said.

She went inside the house and I smiled.

“‘Sweetheart?’” I asked. “You’re such a flirt, you’ve gotta stop doing that.”

“It’s basically habit now from calling you all these pet names all the time,” he said as he pulled out. “Speaking of, a guy called me, someone who I met on grindr a little bit ago.”

“Frank--”

“We aren’t going to go to a bar or anything,” he interrupted. “I’m just gonna go stay the night at his place where I’m going to not sleep at all.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, fine. I guess that’s fine. You know I would rather it if you didn’t.”

“We’ve got a contract set up, you’re going to get a little baby,” he said. “You’ve seen her and everything, little Bandit.”

I nodded before sighing.

“I don’t have enough PTO days,” I said. “You’re gonna have to take care of her for a few weeks until Bandit’s big enough to go to daycare. I’ll be able to work from home a bit but I won’t be able to do it every single day.”

“I’ll be the best fake dad ever,” Frank stated. “I’m totally gonna bring her to a rock concert.”

“Ridiculous, Frank,” I said, smiling as I shook my head and looked out the window. “You should change your name to that.”

“What’s Bandit’s middle name?” He asked.

“I was thinking Lee, after my mom and grandma,” I said. “And it’s not Donna so at least you’ll be happy about that.”

“I’m sorry but Donna is not the name for a little baby girl, I’m just looking out for her here,” he said. “I’m gonna be that really cool uncle because she won’t even have to know that we were married, I’ll just be the cool, queer uncle.”

“I think that by the time that the baby is two then we’ll get to be divorced,” I said. “And it’ll be nice and fast and easy, there will practically be no record of it. It’ll be perfect. We can just say that having a child took a toll on our relationship and we couldn’t make it through. I’ll get full custody, obviously.”

“And I didn’t take your name so I won’t have to change any paperworks,” he said. “That’s definitely really good. Having to get new driver’s license and all that shit would be way too hard for a fake marriage. Isn’t this technically a felony, though.”

“I think that’s only for immigration,” I said.

“But we’re still deceiving public officials,” he said. “If we get in trouble then I’m gonna say that you’re getting thrown under the bus because I can’t go to prison.”

“Fine but then you’re gonna be raising a child,” I said.

“Ooh, I don’t know how to raise a child,” he said. “That’s just a lose-lose situation for Bandit.”

“Oh please don’t go on about this lose-lose bullshit again,” I said with a chuckle.

“But I’m serious, we better not get caught because I can’t get in trouble just because you wanted to have a child,” Frank said.

We got home and he smiled.

“Gotta get ready for my date,” he said.

Frank went upstairs and I heard the shower turn on. I got a bag of chips from the kitchen before going to sit on the couch. I watched tv for a little while before Frank came down.

“I’ve got a bit of time to kill,” he said. “But I am all ready. I don’t even have underwear on.”

“That is too much information,” I stated.

Frank smiled and took the bag of chips away from me. I scowled, snatching it back from his hand.

“Buy your own chips, asshole, I don’t need to hear about your sex life while you eat _my_ chips,” I said.

“Fine, I’ll tell you about my sex life without eating the chips,” he said.

“No thank you,” I mumbled.

“Fine then, your loss,” he said. “It’s basically like free erotica.”

“I don’t want your free erotica,” I said. “That’s gross.”

Frank shrugged, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table but I immediately pushed them off.

“I don’t know why I didn’t expect that,” he mumbled.

“You really should have,” I said.

Frank smiled softly as he looked down at his lap.

“Thanks for letting me go out tonight,” he said. “I don’t wanna have a whole sappy heart-to-heart but thanks, man.”

“It’s okay, asking you to not do something is kinda dickish but I’m also just super worried because this might be counted as marriage fraud but I don’t think we would get into a whole lot of trouble,” I said. “And if we ruin something with Bert and I don’t get my daughter then I’m going to be really upset with you.”

“Would you still be my best friend?” He asked.

“No but I would probably still just be really upset with you,” I said.

“Thank you,” he said and sighed before he stood up. “Alright, I am going to go head off now.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said.

“I’ll bring you donuts and coffee in the morning, I should be back before you get to work,” he said.

“Alright, see you then,” I said.

Frank gave me a small smile, before leaving me behind on his date.


	9. Chapter 9

Time was passing by so fast. I always thought this part would take the longest but it didn’t. This went by so fast, maybe it was just because I’ve been busy with work. But it was already Christmas Eve and here we were at the hospital heading into the delivery room. 

“Holy shit, I’m gonna be sick,” I mumbled. 

“It’s gonna be fine,” Frank said as he held my hand. 

It was a thing he did now completely out of habit, sometimes he’ll just reach over and hold my hand at home. 

“It hurts,” Jamia sobbed. 

“I know, sweetheart, you need to push now,” the doctor said. 

Jamia reached over to hold Frank’s other hand and he winced in pain. 

“Holy fuck you have a strong grip,” he muttered. 

I smiled, watching the nurses bumble around as we stood by Jamia’s head. 

“I-I can’t do it,” she cried. 

“You can, it’s gonna be okay,” Frank said. “I know it hurts. Only a little bit more now.”

“She’s crowning, Jamia, you need to push now,” the doctor said. 

Jamia screamed and frank winced again as she squeezed. All the sudden there were little cries and my heart stopped. 

“Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the doctor said. “Would one of you like to cut the cord?”

“I do,” I said. 

I went over and cut the cord before she went over to get cleaned. They handed her back and I grinned, holding my little daughter in my arms. 

“Is she okay?” I asked. “She’s completely healthy?”

“We’re gonna do some tests,” the nurse said. “We need you to fill out the paperwork for the birth certificate.”

They took her to the other side of the room and I looked at Jamia. She was sweating and breathing heavily, tired and relaxed. 

“How are you?” I asked. 

“Just rad,” she breathed out. 

Frank chuckled and squeezed her hand. Everyone ended up shifted around but soon frank and I were in a room alone with Bandit. I cried as I held her, looking at her beautiful dark eyes. 

“Hey, Bandit,” I whispered. “You’re so beautiful.”

Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I looked up at Frank. 

“Thank you so much,” I cried. “Th-this is all because of you.”

Frank smiled and rubbed my back. 

“You wanna hold her?” I asked. 

He nodded and I handed Bandit to him. Frank smiled as she looked up at him. 

“She’s gorgeous, Gerard,” He said. 

I nodded, wiping away my tears. 

“Is your family coming?” He asked. 

“No I told them it was okay since it was Christmas Eve and they were busy,” I said. “But we’re all getting together tomorrow for Christmas and we’re taking her home then so they’ll be able to meet her.”

“That’s good, I know your mom is really excited,” he said. 

I grabbed my phone so I could FaceTime Kristin. When she answered she had a huge smile. 

“Oh my god, is she here?” She asked. 

I turned the camera around to show Frank holding Bandit. 

“Oh my god, I cannot believe you pulled this off,” she laughed. “She’s so pretty.”

“Six pounds five ounces of pure cuteness,” I said. 

“Oh my god, I am going to go shopping now and get the cutest little clothes,” Kristin said. “Rowan is so excited to meet her baby cousin. I’m telling you, she is going to grow up before you know it.”

“She’s gonna Stay my little sweetheart forever,” I said. 

“I can’t wait for tomorrow when I get to see her,” she said. “I can’t believe she was born on Christmas Eve.”

“It’s so perfect,” I said. 

“She’s tiny, she’s like a football,” Frank said. 

“Please don’t compare my baby to a football,” I said. 

Frank chuckled, taking my phone and handing her back to me. 

“You’re gonna be such an amazing dad, Gerard,” Kristin said. “And, Frank, you’re gonna be such an amazing divorceé.”

“Thank you, that means so much to me,” Frank said sarcastically. 

Kristin smiled and Mikey came into the screen. 

“You’re so fucking weird, I cannot believe you actually married frank just to adopt a child,” he said. “But I’m glad you finally got her, she’s beautiful.”

“She is,” I agreed. “I’m sure you guys are busy, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We hung up just as Bert walked in.

“She’s finally here, you two are finally parents,” he said. 

“We couldn’t be happier, thank you,” I said.

“You should’ve seen him ten minutes ago when he was a blubbering mess,” Frank said.

“Oh shut up,” I mumbled. “Let me just have a few happy moments without you trying to ruin it.”

I smiled down at Bandit as she fell asleep in my arms.

“I love her,” I said. “She is so cute.”

“She is gorgeous,” he agreed. “I just wanted to check up on everyone here, I’ll be over soon to do a home inspection. I will email you.”

“Thank you so much,” I said.

He smiled and nodded before he left. The nurses came to take care of Bandit and take her back to the nursery when it began to get late.

“You two should go home and get some rest, it’ll be your last night before you have a child in the house,” Bert said.

“Um, I kind of want to stay,” I said.

“That’s fine, it’s your choice,” he said.

He shook our hands and I looked into the little window at all the babies.

“I don’t wanna leave,” I said. “What if something bad happens?”

“I’m gonna go check on Jamia then go home for a shower,” he said. “I’ll bring back some clean clothes for you.”

“Thank you so much,” I said.

He kissed my cheek before blushing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” he said. “Habits die hard.”

I chuckled, waving goodbye to him. A nurse got me a chair and I sat outside the window as I watched Bandit. I ended up falling asleep there until Frank came back with a bag. 

“How is she?” Frank asked.

“She’s doing just fine, she’s gonna need to be fed soon and the nurse said I could,” I mumbled sleepily.

“You should go home and rest, you need it,” he said. “Especially since you’re gonna be up with the baby.”

“No, I think I’m okay,” I said.

“Gerard, I know you’re worried,” he said, kneeling down next to me. “It’s gonna be okay for you to just go home and sleep for a bit. You’re gonna need to rest. I’ll stay here with her, I’ll make sure no one touches her other than the nurses.”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay, I’ll take care of her,” he said.

“Fine, I guess I’ll go home,” I said. “But I’m coming back as soon as I can tomorrow.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “So, which one is she again?”

“Oh, Frank, please don’t joke,” I mumbled. “I just wanna feed her first.”

He nodded and I motioned for the nurse. She already had a bottle ready as I took Bandit.

“How’s Jamia?” I asked.

“She’s good, just tired but definitely feeling better,” he said. “I think the medicine is really helping.”

“She still has a little schoolgirl crush on you so I don’t know what you’re going to do about that,” I said.

“She doesn’t,” Frank denied.

“She does,” I said. “And no offence but I don’t want her around the baby.”

“Why not?” Frank asked.

“Because Bandit knows that she’s her mom and I want to imprint on her, not Jamia,” I said.

“Whatever you say, she knows the agreement,” Frank said. “We’ll send milestone pictures every now and then but that’s it.”

“I know but she’s my daughter and I really just can’t help but worry,” I said.

“That’s okay,” he said.

Frank smiled, resting a hand on my shoulder.

“Gerard, what time are you going to be heading out?” Frank asked. “Just so that way I know you get a good night of sleep tonight.”

“I don’t know, probably soon” I said. “Maybe I’ll just feed her and then change her diaper and--”

“Gerard,” he interrupted. “Go home. Get some sleep. You’re really going to need it. Babies stay up all night and it doesn’t help that it is going to be Christmas tomorrow.”

“A newborn on Christmas Eve,” I mumbled. “That’s perfect.

“She could’ve been like Jesus and been born on Christmas, that would’ve been even cooler,” he said.

“You have a very loose definition of cool,” I said.

“Oh shut up, whatever,” he mumbled. “You’re the one being ridiculous now.”

I smiled as Bandit started to fuss, turning her head away. I burped her and Frank handed her back to the nurse.

“Now go home, seriously,” he said. “I love you and all but I am starting to get sick of seeing your face.”

I chuckled and stood up.

“Don’t you need to sleep?” I asked.

“I’ll be able to sleep when you’re up with the baby,” he said. “Besides, I’m staying the night at my mom’s house tomorrow, I’m gonna get a nice sleep tomorrow.”

“Lucky man,” I mumbled. 

I looked in the window and smiled at Bandit’s sleeping figure in her little clear crib.

“Bye, bye, my beautiful little girl,” I whispered. “I will see you first thing in the morning, as soon as I can. I promise I’ll be here before you even wake up. You won’t even notice I was gone.”

“Gerard, she’s a baby and not even in the same room,” Frank said.

“Shut up, I’m sentimental,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, man.”

Frank smiled and gave me a hug. I waved goodbye to Bandit before heading off home. I was already missing her by the time I had showered and crawled into bed but thankfully Frank sent me a picture of her. I grinned, staring at my phone screen until I fell asleep hugging my device.


	10. Chapter 10

I walked into my parents’ house, setting down the carrier as I was immediately swarmed. Kristin pulled Bandit from the car seat and cooed.

“She is so precious,” she said. “I love her so much. Oh, Mikey, let’s have another.”

“Maybe now isn’t the right time,” Mikey said with a small smile. “You’re fucking crazy, Gerard.”

“I have a daughter who I love with all my heart,” I said. “I don’t think that’s crazy.”

“Where’s Frank at?” He asked.

“His mom’s,” I said. 

“He isn’t going to be much help with Bandit, is he?” He asked.

“No but I wasn’t expecting him to anyways,” I said. “We may be married but she’s my child and I’m the one who is responsible. Frank will babysit and stuff sometimes, though, when I’m at work and she’s not big enough to go to daycare.”

“And we’ll be willing to babysit whenever you need, too,” Kristin said. “I would love to take this little sweetheart off your hands. Rowan, come meet your baby cousin.”

She ran over in a little red dress and smiled.

“Wubby,” she said.

Wubby was her favorite toy, she basically calls everything she likes Wubby.

“This is Bandit,” Kristin said, kneeling down so she could see.

Rowan poked Bandit’s cheek and giggled. But the poke woke Bandit up and she began to cry. Rowan gasped and panicked before smacking Bandit in the forehead.

“No!” Kristin exclaimed. “You don’t hit!”

I took Bandit, rocking her and calming her down. Kristin went to give Rowan a talk about hitting and Mikey helped me carry my bag into the living room.

“Where’s mom and dad?” I asked.

“They went down the street to see a neighbor and say hello but they’ll be back in about five or ten minutes,” Mikey said. “Mom is so excited to see the baby, she has been waiting all day for you to come.”

“Thanks for carrying that for me,” I said, glancing over at the Christmas tree that had presents stacked up beneath it. “Jesus, why are there so many presents?”

“Kristin might have gone a little bit overboard with gifts for Bandit, she was just so excited,” he said. “She misses when Rowan was that little.”

“Rowan is the cutest, I love her little blonde hair and her blue eyes,” I said. “Bandit’s gonna have dark hair and dark eyes. I think that’s adorable too. I love the way brown hair seems golden in the light and brown eyes look like little pools of soft honey.”

“I’ve seen pictures of her mom and if she looks anything like her then she’s gonna be beautiful,” Mikey said.

“The dad isn’t so bad looking either, Jamia showed us a picture one time,” I said. “Star football player and national honors society. Hopefully she gets the brains, I definitely didn’t.”

“Do you ever think you’re gonna start looking for a real partner?” He asked.

“I don’t know, I’m happy right now,” I said. “I’ve never been this happy, actually. I’ve got a daughter. Right now I just have to stay with Frank but if I meet someone in the next few years that I like then maybe something will happen but I don’t know right now. As long as I have Bandit then I think I’ll be just fine.”

“I just hope you thought all this through,” he said. 

“I have,” I stated. “I’m overjoyed, Mikey, I’ve been waiting for this for so long.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, I know that you’ve been waiting a child for a long time,” he said.

The door opened and a squeal of excitement rang throughout the house. My mom came over and took Bandit from my arms immediately.

“Oh my god, she is the cutest,” she cooed. “I could just eat her up, my goodness. She is the most precious thing I have ever laid eyes on.”

“She is,” I agreed. “The fucking cutest baby on the planet, other than Rowan,”

“I’ve got the cutest baby ever,” Mikey said.

“Rowan is adorable,” I agreed.

“I think Bandit is a cute name, it’s very unique,” my mom said. “I wasn’t sure about it at first but it’s really grown on me. Where’s Frank at?”

“His mom’s,” I said. “We’re not really married, remember? It’s all just fake.”

“But he’s such a nice boy,” she said.

“We’re best friends and that’s it, mom,” I said.

“You two would look so nice together,” she said.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

“I’m just gonna divorce him,” I said. “We aren’t actually a real couple.”

“That’s a shame,” she mumbled. “He was always so sweet in high school, he used to come over and help me do the dishes and go grocery shopping for me. He was like the son I wish I had.”

Mikey and I both scowled and she laughed.

“Why didn’t both of them come over here?” My mom asked.

“I think his grandpa was in town,” I said. “Otherwise they probably would’ve.”

“How were the roads coming up here?” She asked.

“They were alright, not too slippery,” I said. 

“Did you come straight from the hospital?” She asked.

“No, I went home for the gifts and to get Bandit a change of clothes before I came,” I said.

“Speaking of change, I think someone needs a change of a diaper,” she said, holding her out to me.

I grabbed her diaper bag and went into the bathroom, giving her a quick change before I went back out. My phone buzzed with a text from the groupchat that included Frank and Jamia.

_Frank: Merry Christmas, Mia_

_Jamia: Merry Christmas, Frankie!_

I shook my head, biting my lip. Jamia definitely had a crush on Frank but she was young and Frank was too nice to tell her off, as much as he wants to seem badass. Their relationship can only go south and I didn’t necessarily want the mother of our child to hate us.

“Gerard, will you help out by setting the table?” My dad asked.

I nodded, handing Bandit off to Kristin. I set plates and silverware around the table before going to help bring dishes of food out. Nothing was better than my dad’s Christmas turkey dinner. It was one of my all time favorite parts of Christmas.

“I’m gonna go put Bandit down for a nap,” I said. “Do we still have that old bassinet from when Mikey was a baby?”

“We do, I put it in my room for you,” my mom said.

I went into her room, smiling when I saw the little blue bassinet. Mikey was born premature and had to sleep in my parents room when he was first born. Because they didn’t want to put the crib in here, they just got a little, easily portable bassinet instead.

“Alright, beautiful, time to go to sleep,” I whispered. “I will see you soon.”

I laid her down and she fussed for a little bit before calming down. I shut the door slowly and quietly.

“I can’t wait to show you all the cute little outfits I got her,” my mom said as we sat down and began eating.

“Oh, we kept all of Rowan’s baby clothes so you can have them if you want,” Mikey said.

“Thank you,” I said. 

“We call it the pink box, the little box of mostly pink clothes,” he said. “I never thought I would ever see so much pink in one place.”

I chuckled. “I get what you mean after I got Bandit. It’s not completely pink but there sure is a lot of it.”

“She got her vaccinations and everything?” My dad asked.

“Yep, she’s all vaccinated and perfectly healthy,” I said. “She is absolutely perfect. Both her biological parents are smart and athletic and in good health, too, so hopefully she gets some good traits from them and doesn’t end up in dummies math like I did.”

“It was not dummies math,” My mom denied. “It was Extra Algebra.”

“AKA dummies math,” I said. “It’s okay, I know that I struggled with school and I’ve come to terms with that.”

“You aren’t dumb,” she said. “You just needed a little extra help and that’s okay.”

“I hope that Bandit doesn’t have as much of a hard time with school as I did,” I said.

“I’m sure that she is going to be great,” my mom said.

I nodded with a small smile. I was halfway done with dinner when I heard crying from the other room.

“I can warm up a bottle for you,” Mikey said.

I nodded and went back to go get her. I shushed and bounced her until the bottle was ready and sat at the table cradling her in my arms while I fed her.

“Okay, okay, present time,” Kristin said.

I moved to feed her in the living room and Rowan opened Bandit’s presents for me since my hands were full. There were endless amounts of tutus, pacifiers, onesies and stuffed animals. 

“I love all of this, thank you,” I said. “And I know little bandit will absolutely love it too. I can’t wait until she’s bigger and can play and sit up and laugh.”

“If you think she’s cute now just wait a few days,” Mikey said. “Babies faces get a little smooshed up sometimes from being born but in a few days she will be ten times cuter. She’s cute now but just wait, she’ll have you wrapped around her finger.”

“She already does,” I said. “She’s daddy’s little girl and that is never gonna change, I love her so much. She already has me wrapped around her little finger.”

“You’re never gonna be able to say no when she wants a new toy, it’s so hard to resist putting a happy smile on her face,” Mikey said.

We were just finishing up with presents when Frank called. I went to the other room and set Bandit into the bassinet as I answered.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.

“I was just calling to have you tell your family merry Christmas,” he said. “And I wanted to check up on you and Bandit.”

“It’s all good here, Bandit is an absolute sweetheart,” I said. “But thanks for checking in.”

“Yeah,” he said. “We never go this long apart, miss you.”

My heart skipped a beat as I snorted.

“What was that?” I asked. “Sarcasm?”

No, I’m serious,” he said in a completely even tone. “We were always spending so much time together that it feels weird not being by your side. It’s like the whole holding hands out of habit.”

“Okay, Frank, I’ll see you tonight,” I said.

“See you,” he said.

I could hear his breath on the line for a moment as I waited for him to hang up but when he didn’t I hung up myself.


	11. Chapter 11

“Gerard, your baby is crying,” Frank said over the phone.

I let out a whine as I looked at my phone, it was about three in the morning and there was crying over the baby monitor. When I hadn’t gone right up to check on her Frank decided to call me.

“Can’t you get her?” I asked.

“Not my baby,” he said.

I whined before hanging up. I dragged myself out of bed and down the hall to the nursery where my two week old baby cried. I carried her downstairs and set her into her little seat before heating up a bottle. She finally calmed down when the nipple went into her mouth and I sighed in relief.

I was tired and stressed. I loved my little girl with all my heart but waking up so much in the middle of the night was really taking a toll on me. Frank wasn’t any help, he never got up for the baby. 

-+-

Screaming woke me up and I whimpered. It’s only been an hour. I got up and shushed her and bounced her but nothing would calm her down. She didn’t need a diaper change or anything. I finally resorted to just giving her a pacifier and going back to bed.

-+-

Two hours later I was up again, this time for a diaper full of shit. I scrunched my nose up as she waved her little arms in the air. Thankfully she wasn’t one to cry or throw a fit when i had to give her a diaper changed. I got her changed back into her pajamas before curling up to sleep again.

-+-

When I woke up the sun was shining and the birds were chirping. I looked at the clock and gasped when I saw it was already past noon.

“Fuck,” I muttered.

That means it’s been a whole seven hours since Bandit last woke up, what if something was wrong? How am I so bad of a dad? What if she did cry and I slept through it and something was wrong and now she’s dead? Oh god, I’m the worst dad ever.

I went down the hall to the nursery and my heart stopped when I saw the crib was empty. I ran down the stairs, ready to call the police when I noticed Frank on the couch feeding Bandit.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“She was crying and I thought you probably needed your sleep,” he said.

“Thank you,” I mumbled. “I really fucking did.”

I sat on the couch next to him and smiled.

“You would make a great dad, you know,” I said.

“Nah, you’re the good parent here, not me,” he denied.

“Frank, you’re loving and caring, that’s all you need to be a parent,” I said.

Frank looked up at me with a small smile on his face. There was a small glimmer in his eye that made my heart skip a beat again. I frowned in confusion but tried not to think about it at all.

“You Alright?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “I can take her if you want.”

“She looks comfortable,” he said. “And you smell, go take a shower. I’ve got her.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’re gonna have the best time,” he said.

I went up to the bathroom and sighed. The hot water was relaxing, it’s been about a week since I last showered. But I didn’t want to stay in for long, being away from Bandit for too long made me anxious. When I went back down I saw Frank cradling Bandit as he softly sang to her.

“Close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone, he’s on the run and daddy’s here,” he sang.

“Daddy, huh?” I asked.

Frank jumped in fright and I laughed.

“Sorry, she was just fussy and she calmed down when I hummed and this is one of the only songs I know that doesn’t swear,” he said.

“It’s alright, technically you are her daddy,” I said.

Frank stood up and handed her off to me.

“My turn to shower,” he said.

The two of us spent the day taken care of Bandit together. It was nice to actually get help from him. Around two in the morning after feeding Bandit and putting her back to bed I sat in the kitchen with Frank.

“Come on, a couple drinks won’t hurt,” he said. “You need it.”

I smiled and took the bottle of beer from him. After a few drinks each we were both a little drunk and he smiled.

“You’ve been too stressed, you need to unwind,” he said.

“Yeah? How do I do that?” I asked.

“Sex, that’s what I do,” he said with a shrug.

“Who am I supposed to have sex with?” I asked.

He shrugged. “You just need to unwind.”

Frank stepped closer and pressed me back against the table. His lips collided with mine in a few seconds and I whimpered. It was shocking but oddly nice. Frank pulled off my shirt and began making quick work of my belt when I shook my head.

“Wait, wait,” I breathed. “Not on the table.”

Frank nodded and pulled me up to my bedroom, pushing me back against the bed.

“Do you have condom and lube?” He asked and I shook my head.

Frank left and I frowned in confusion. He came back a few seconds after and dropped some things on the bed. He kissed me roughly, pulling off my pants and boxers quickly. I pulled off his shirt, nothing in my mind other than the bubbling pleasure that was building up. 

His hips began grinding down against me, rough fabric of jeans against my semi. I moaned, my hands tangling into his brown hair. I tugged off his hoodie and worked with his belt next. He kissed my neck, sucking harder and harder. 

“Oh—oh fuck,” I whimpered. “Oh, don’t stop.”

Frank moved to the other side of my neck, continuing his marking there. It’s been so long since I’ve had sex, everything was building up so fast. I moaned, pulling him close. I pushed his jeans down and saw he wasn’t wearing any underwear. I didn’t get a chance to say anything before he was pushing his lubed up fingers between my legs. 

He slowly pushed a finger in and I let out a soft moan. The intrusion was so familiar but it had been so long since I’ve felt it. It wasn’t long before he pushed in a second finger, moving them in and out slowly. He stretched me slowly but it was still messy and drunk. By the time he put the condom on and pushed in I was stretched and eager.

“Please,” I whimpered. “O-oh fuck.”

It stung slightly but the alcohol took the edge off as he bottomed out. He rocked his hips slowly before giving me a kiss. He moved faster, hands holding onto my wrists.

“Shit,” he muttered. 

Frank buried his face into the crook of my neck, his hot breath fanning over my skin as he panted heavily. My legs wrapped around his waist, trying to pull him closer. Sweaty skin pressed against each other, the smell of him intoxicating my senses.

“Fuck,” I whimpered. “O-oh fuck. Please, harder.”

Frank snapped his hips before he pulled out.

“No, d-don’t stop,” I whined. “Oh god, please don’t stop.”

“Turn over,” he said.

I looked up into Frank’s dark, lust-filled eyes before nodding. I turned over onto my hands and knees before he slammed into my again. I cried out in pleasure before covering my mouth. I laid my head down, burying my face into the pillow. Frank held my hips as he fucked me roughly, hitting my prostate every time. 

My whole body was burning up, pleasure consuming every inch of my skin. It radiated even more when his hand wrapped around my erection. I didn’t wanna finish so soon but I could feel the burning heat in the pit of my stomach twisting tighter and tighter.

Frank was close, too. His rhythm became erratic as he pounded into me. He paused for a moment, nothing but ragged breaths in the air before slamming in again. I couldn’t help it at this point, I was a complete mess. I came in his hand, trying to muffle out my moans with the pillow. He finished soon after me before pulling out and I passed out in bed.

-+-

Screaming over the baby monitor woke me up and I jerked in shock. My head was aching as I blinked against the bright sun. Frank laid naked and asleep beside me in the bed.

“Hey, wake up,” I hissed.

Frank yawned, rubbing his eyes.

“Did we…” I trailed off, not wanting to even utter the words.

“Yeah, we fucked,” he said. “Fuck, I’ve got a headache.”

“Frank, you need to get out,” I said. “This shouldn’t have happened.

“It’s okay, it’s just a one night stand thing,” he said. “It doesn’t really matter.”

“You’re my best friend, thi-this really should not have happened,” I said.

“Gerard, you have to just chill,” he said.

“Please just...please just go,” I mumbled.

Bandit’s cries could still be heard over the baby monitor as Frank stood up. I looked away quickly and he snorted.

“I’m gonna go grab a shower then,” he said

“Okay, do whatever,” I said, still not looking.

“How are you gonna tell Bandit that her dad’s slept together?” Frank asked.

“Please just leave,” I said.

I heard shuffling as he grabbed his clothes before the door opened and shut. I quickly got dressed before rushing down the hall to the nursery. I picked Bandit up, forcing a smile on my face as I looked down at her. My mind was rushing with thoughts, each and every one of them involving my best friend.


	12. Chapter 12

Bert came over and smiled as he looked at Bandit.

“How are you two doing?” He asked.

“We’re both really good,” I said as I looked at Frank.

He smiled and nodded his head.

“When are you heading back to work, Gerard?” Bert asked.

“Well, after talking with my bosses they decided to allow me to have a six week leave,” I said. “So I still have three more weeks.”

“That’s really great,” he said. “You both have been taking equal care of Bandit?”

“We have,” I lied.

Frank was starting to help out more now but it was still a little uneven.

“Well, I think this is the last visit we’ll need,” he said. “Good luck to both of you and your beautiful daughter.”

I gave him a hug and smiled as he left.

“I can take care of Bandit right now if you wanna go shower or something,” Frank offered. “I’m gonna have to shower later because I’ve got a date.”

“A date? With who?” I asked.

“A girl from tinder,” he said. “She’s gorgeous.”

“Frank, you can’t get caught,” I said.

“I won’t,” he stated. “Does this mean we’re gonna start with the divorce process?”

“Not yet, it’s too soon,” I said.

Frank smiled and took Bandit.

“Hello, Beautiful,” he cooed. “Gorgeous little pumpkin.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Frank was so cute with Bandit, he really did care about her a lot. Watching them together made my heart flutter.

“What are we gonna do?” Frank asked in his baby voice. “Do you wanna play patty cake? Maybe we’ll even have an intense round of peek-a-boo!”

Frank grinned as he looked up at me.

“Don’t you need to shower?” He asked.

“I’m okay, I’m just gonna do some cleaning if you don’t mind watching her,” I said.

“Of course I don’t,” he said. “I would love to hang out with this little cutie.”

We haven’t talked about last week still. It was awkward but only seemed to be like that on my side, Frank was chill about everything. 

“You have to do your own laundry, though,” I said.

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed.

I went around cleaning the house, making sure to vacuum the rugs and sweep the floors. I fixed up his bedroom and gasped when I saw the assortment of dildos in the nightstand.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Frank?” I asked as I walked downstairs.

“What?” He asked.

“Why do you have sex toys in my house?” I asked.

“Why do you think, Gerard?” Frank asked.

“Frank, you can’t keep sex toys inside of my house,” I said.

“Where else am I supposed to keep it?” He asked.

“You haven’t used these, have you?” I asked.

“No, I bought them just for display,” he said sarcastically.

“Ew, Frank,” I whined.

“What? It’s hot,” he said. “You can’t deny it, you’re the one who slept with me.

“I didn’t mean to, I was drunk,” I said.

“So was I,” he said with a shrug. “It didn’t mean anything, what’s the big deal?”

“I don’t go around sleeping with my friends,” I stated.

“Well, you did last week,” he said and I scowled. “Gerard, it isn’t that big of a deal, just chill, okay?”

“No, I can’t just chill, we slept together, Frank,” I said. “That’s bad.”

“It didn’t seem bad when you were begging me not stop,” he said.

“Shut up,” I mumbled.

I picked up Bandit and sighed.

“We will not be talking about this again,” I said. “It will not happen again.”

“That’s what they all say,” he said.

“Whatever, just forget it,” I said. “It was an accident, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said. “Just keep telling yourself that.”

“You’re an ass, you know that, right?” I asked.

Frank smiled and nodded.

“So, when are you divorcing me then?” He asked.

“I don’t know yet, it’s too soon to start,” I said. “Maybe in a couple months.”

“A couple months?” He asked. “You already don’t let me go on dates.”

“Well, you’re going on a date tonight,” I said.

“Which I know you don’t approve of,” he said.

“Of course I don’t, I don’t want you getting us caught,” I said.

“You already have a daughter, what else is there for us to do?” He asked.

“It’s just too soon to get caught,” I said. “What if they take her away from us? She’s a sweet little baby, she will be snatched up again in seconds. Everyone wants babies.”

“I won’t go on a date then if it makes you happy,” he said

I sighed and set Bandit down into her little seat.

“Thank you, just wait for a little bit longer,” I said.

“Okay but you have to make it up for me,” he said.

“How do I do that?” I asked.

Frank smirked and hooked a finger into the waistband of my pants, pulling me down to straddle his hips. I gasped, my face flushing red before Frank burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” he said. “You should’ve seen your face.”

Frank was sputtering laughing as I stood up.

“That’s not funny, Frank,” I grumbled.

“Okay fine but you have to buy me a pizza,” he said.

“Only if you stop doing shit like that,” I said.

Frank held out his hand and I shook it.

“Looks like we have a deal then,” he said. “I get pizza as long as I don’t flirt with you anymore.”

“You get pizza tonight, this isn’t an everyday thing,” I said.

“Pizza once a week for as long as I don’t go on dates,” he said.

“Fine, deal,” I agreed.

I pulled my hand away, running it through my hair.

“I still don’t like your toy collection in my house,” I said.

“Well, since I’m not going on dates anymore then they’re going to get put to use even more,” he said. “You win some you lose some, Gerard. This is a win-lose situation.”

“Oh, shut up with all your win-lose bullcrap,” I said. “We are not gonna go through all of that again.”

“Hey, you love it,” he said. “You love me.”

“Correction: I hate you,” I stated.

“You love me,” Frank sang mockingly.

“Oh shut up,” I said. “Let me get a bottle.”

I went to the kitchen and mixed up a bottle of formula before warming it up. Frank took the bottle from me when I walked back over and I gasped.

“Stop it, I wanna feed her,” I said, taking the bottle back. “My daughter.”

“Ass,” Frank said.

“No swearing in front of the baby,” I said.

I picked Bandit up, sitting next to him on the couch. He smiled as he watched Bandit eat.

“She’s really warming up to me,” he said. “She is absolutely adorable. I love her already.”

“I’ve loved her since before she was born,” I said. “She’s so precious and tiny. I just want her to stay tiny forever.”

“I can’t wait to see who she grows up to be, what kind of person she’ll be,” he said. “I’m gonna get her into music. Maybe she can even go on tour with her badass uncle when he finally goes on tour.”

“Maybe far into the future when she’s on summer break,” I said. “It could be a fun experience for her.”

“Maybe when she’s twelve I’ll plan a tour that takes place only in the summer, it’ll be a lot of fun,” Frank said.

“In order to have a tour you have to actually have some music,” I said. “Rather than your half-assed shit that you do.”

“Hey, I’ll get around to finishing it,” he said. “One day I’ll get an entire album finished.”

“If you stop sleeping around and playing xbox all day,” I said.

Frank rolled his eyes and I smiled.

“You’re the one who’s sleeping with me,” he said.

“Slept,” I corrected. “Past tense. It was only one time and will be only one time. We were drunk and I was tired and stressed. It didn’t mean anything to me.”

“Didn’t mean anything to me either,” he said. “That cancels out because of PEMDAS so it was nothing.”

“God you’re dumb,” I mumbled.

“Am not, I’m just slowly gifted,” he said.

“Slowly gifted?” I asked.

“Gifted with slow abilities,” he said. “Like the opposite of being gifted.”

“I stand by my original point,” I stated. 

“You’re just jealous that I know more about music than you do,” he said.

“I beg to differ,” I said.

“Then beg!” Frank exclaimed.

“You’re absolutely impossible,” I muttered.

Bandit began to fuss and I took the bottle away. I burped her and smiled as I cradled her in my arms.

“I love you,” I said.

“Um, sorry, dude, but you’re my best friend and I just don’t feel the same way about you,” Frank said.

“I’m not talking to you, idiot,” I said, looking up at him. “You’re such a dork, I swear.”

“I’m not a dork, you’re the dork,” he said. “The dorkiest dork. Queen of Dorkington.”

“That’s King, to you,” I corrected. “King of Dorkington.”

“You’re the dumb one,” he said. 

“I guess Bandit is the only one here who isn’t dumb,” I said.

“She’s gonna be a little genius,” he said. “I bet she’ll be the gifted one out of us. Her parents are honors students in AP courses, her dad’s a star football player and her mother is a talented musician. She’s got so many good genes, she’s gonna have so much going for her.”

“She’s gonna be our own little prodigy,” I said.

“Our?” Frank said.

“My little prodigy,” I corrected. “She’s gonna be amazing, I really bet. I want her to be a musician like you, I would like it if she got into the arts. Or into sports is good too. Or academics. Maybe she’ll be a doctor or a dentist.”

“Either way whatever she chooses will be amazing,” he said.

It was quiet for a moment before Frank ruined it.

“So, wanna go make out?” He asked.

“Oh shut up!” I exclaimed.

I hit his shoulder, taking our daughter away upstairs.


	13. Chapter 13

I finished giving Bandit a bath and got her dressed up into her cute little pajamas. They were little pink footie pajamas with bears on the feet and paw prints on the bottom of the feet.

“Let’s go say goodnight to Frankie,” I cooed.

Frank loved saying goodnight to Bandit. Although before he didn’t really care that much, he loved Bandit now. He was always talking and singing to her, wanting to feed her and bathe her. He even wakes up to take care of her at night so I can get some sleep.

“That sounds really cool,” I heard Frank say.

I frowned in confusion. Nobody else was home. 

When I walked into the living I saw Jamia and Frank sitting on the couch while they flipped through a magazine.

“Oh, hey,” Frank said. “Jamia might get to write a column for an actual magazine, how cool is that?”

“Pretty rad,” Jamia said with a giggle.

Bandit reacted to her voice and let out a soft cry, wanting Jamia instead of me.

“Y-you can’t be around Bandit,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

Bandit started crying and looking in her direction. I took Bandit away downstairs as I tried to calm her down. But I found myself crying as I rocked her when Frank walked into the nursery.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“She doesn’t love me,” I whimpered. “She only wants Jamia. Jamia is her real mom and bandit knows that and Bandit doesn’t love me like she loves her. I’m not her real dad. Jamia is her mom and--”

“Okay, stop that,” he interrupted. “Bandit loves you, she’s just reacting to Jamia because they were together for nine months and she recognizes her voice is all. It isn’t love, just recognition.”

“Why is she even here?” I asked. “The terms of the contract were clear, she doesn’t have contact with Bandit but we’ll send her photos every now and then and when Bandit is eighteen then she can be allowed to find her if Bandit chooses to.”

“You know her home life isn’t the best,” Frank said. “She just needs someone to talk to. She doesn’t have a support system at home and when she was pregnant she always got that support from us. She needs someone.”

“She’s become attached to you,” I stated. “She likes you, Frank, she’s still got that little crush on you.”

Frank sighed and looked at Bandit crying.

“Okay, just give her to me,” he said.

I bit my lip before handing her off.

“Close your eyes, have no fear, the monster’s gone, he’s on the run and Daddy’s here,” he sang. “beautiful , beautiful, beautiful, beautiful girl. Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer, every day in every way, it’s getting better and better. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful girl.”

Bandit calmed down to the song and Frank put her into the crib. She fussed for a moment before falling asleep.

“I still don’t know how you do that,” I mumbled. “She loves that song so much.”

Frank smiled as he watched her.

“It’s gonna be okay, Gerard,” he said softly. “She loves you, you’re her real father and she loves you so much.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

Frank smiled and gave me a hug that lingered for a small moment.

“Jamia came over because her parents were fighting,” he said. “She doesn’t have a lot of friends, she just needs someone. And if I can be that someone and help her then I will.”

“Okay but I don’t want her around Bandit,” I said. “That’s nice that you are helping her.”

“You just need to relax a bit,” he said. “Do you need us to do the same thing we did last time? Need me to fuck you until you beg for it.”

“Shut it, no more mentioning that,” I said. “I was drunk, it doesn’t count.”

We went downstairs to where Jamia was flipping through a magazine.

“An article, that’s pretty cool,” I said.

“It’s just a little column thing,” she said. “I won a writing contest and I get to have my poem published.”

“That’s super cool,” Frank said. “You’re really talented, Jamia.”

She grinned happily, putting the magazine onto the table.

“When is it coming out?” I asked.

“Should be next week,” she said.

“I’ll be sure to buy a copy,” Frank said. “You want a drink, Gerard?”

“Beer would be good,” I said.

“Ooh, me too,” Jamia agreed.

“You can have some water,” Frank said.

He went off to the kitchen before coming back with a beer for me and a glass of water for Jamia.

“Thank you,” I said.

I took a small sip as I looked at Jamia.

“So, how are things going?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Still not completely cleared by the doctor yet. Parents won’t stop fighting. My sister, and best friend, is away at college all the way in Washington state so we barely talk anymore.”

“Do you video chat?” Frank asked.

“Yes, we do,” she said. “But she’s usually busy, both with classes and parties. How is Bandit?”

“Oh, she’s doing just fine,” Frank said. 

“I bet you two are amazing parents,” she said. 

“I think Gerard is the best dad in the world,” he said. 

I grinned, feeling a soft flutter in my heart when he smiled at me. 

“It’s getting pretty late,” I said. “Do you need a ride home, Jamia?”

“No, it’s okay, I drove here,” she said. 

I nodded and she stood up, giving us both hugs before she left.

“Frank, she can’t keep coming over, we have a contract set,” I said.

“She isn’t going to fight for custody, she’s just lonely and needs a friend,” he said. “Drink your beer, you’re all naggy when you’re sober.”

I rolled my eyes, picking up my bottle.

“You’re unbelievable, Frank Iero,” I said. “Can’t believe I married you.”

“Whatever, you’re the crazy neat freak,” he said. “Never thought I’d marry one of those.”

I looked at him as I bit my lip, small butterflies in my stomach.

“You okay?” He asked and I nodded. “You’ve been acting a little funny lately.”

“Oh, just tired from taking care of Bandit,” I dismissed with a small wave of my hand. 

“You sure?” He asked. “You’re my best friend, I can always tell when something is wrong.”

“It’s nothing, Frankie, I promise,” I said. “Just tired.”

I polished off my drink and stood up. For a moment I thought about the night frank and I spent in bed together and I blushed. 

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” He teased. 

“Shut up,” I mumbled. “You’re such an ass.”

Frank smiled proudly and I headed towards the stairs. I made sure to check on Bandit before changing and crawling into bed. It took quite a while for me to fall asleep, my mind was just racing with thoughts. Most of them involving frank. 

In the middle of the night I heard crying over the baby monitor but it quickly quieted down. I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I looked at the little device on my nightstand. 

“Hey, babygirl,” Frank cooed, the little dots lighting up red from the sound of his voice. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

I smiled, hugging my blanket to my chest. 

“You’re such a beautiful little girl,” Frank whispered. “I love you.”

My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the speaker. 

“What’s wrong? You have a scary dream?” Frank asked. “Want me to sing to you, Baby?”

Frank began humming before soft words finally escaped his lips. 

“The monster’s gone, daddy’s here,” he sang. “Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful girl. You’re my beautiful girl, I love you.”

He ended up lulling me to sleep, curled up in my warm bed listening to the sound of his sweet voice. 

“Wake up, asshat,” Frank said. 

I was startled, jerking awake and looking up at him with Bandit in his arms crying. 

“I have been up with her for hours and she won’t stop crying, it’s your turn,” he said. 

“Just put her in the baby bjorn, she likes that,” I said. 

“Well, I can’t find the bjorn,” he said. 

I sat up and held my arms out. Frank handed me bandit before laying next to me. 

“Babygirl, what’s wrong?” I asked. 

“I tried feeding, changing her diaper, walking,” he said. “I’m tired, man.”

“Sorry,” I said. 

“No, it’s okay, I love her and I love taking care of her,” he said. “‘M just tired and she won’t stop fussing.”

I looked at Bandit’s snotty face and placed a hand to her forehead. 

“Oh, Baby,” I muttered. “Frankie, she’s running a fever.”

“Oh, just thought she was warm because of the crying,” he said. 

I looked at the clock and saw it was six in the morning. 

“I’m gonna try feeding her and then if she isn’t feeling better then I’m gonna take her to the doctors,” I said. 

“I’m gonna take a nap,” he said. 

Frank curled up in my bed and I smiled. His soft brown hair swept over his smooth skin, eyes fluttering shut. 

“Night, Frankie,” I said. 

“Goodnight,” he mumbled. 

“Thanks for taking care of Bandit,” I said. 

He nodded and I carried Bandit downstairs. I set her down and found a bottle already made. I made sure to warm it and mix it before trying to feed it to her while watching the morning news. She kept fussing and turning away but finally after half an hour she started drinking. 

“There we go,” i cooed. “Look, not so bad now.”

I smiled down at her, feeling my heart fill in a way that only Bandit can do.

“I love you,” I whispered.

She eventually quieted down and fell asleep in my arms. I held her for a few minutes before putting her into her little cradle.

“Is she feeling better now?” Frank asked.

“Thought you were asleep,” I said.

“No, I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I was too worried about my sweet little girl.”

“I think she’s starting to feel better,” I said. “So I shouldn’t have to take her to the doctor’s.”

“Good, I don’t want sweet little Bandit being sick,” he said.

He kissed her forehead and smiled, holding her hand while she slept.


	14. Chapter 14

Frank was currently on the floor playing with Bandit, trying to make her smile and laugh but she was still a little too young for that. Frank didn’t know that but it was amusing to watch him.

“I don’t think she likes me,” Frank said.

“She’s too little to play, Frankie,” I said.

“Oh,” he mumbled sadly. “Maybe some other time then.”

“I’m sure she still appreciates it,” I said.

“What are you doing?” He asked as he stood up.

“Dishes, what does it look like?” I asked with a snort.

“Why do you wash the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher, that’s what dishwashers are for,” he said.

“This is how you’ve gotta do it or else it doesn’t really get clean enough,” I stated. “Don’t mock my methods, okay?”

“Whatever, sassy-pants,” he muttered. “Let’s take Bandit on a walk.”

I smiled and set the cup down, drying off my hhands.

“I really love how much you love her,” I said.

“She’s the best,” he muttered. “Best daughter ever.”

Daughter?

Frank didn’t even seem to realize he said that and I found myself not wanting to correct him.

“It’s too chilly to go on a walk,” I said. “I don’t want our sweet little baby to get sick.”

“Me neither,” he agreed. “I just thought it would be nice.”

“We’ll make sure she gets plenty of activities here,” I said. “But it’s almost bedtime.”

“Oh, I love bedtime,” he said. “Can I be the one to give her a bath?”

“Yeah, I guess you can,” I said.

Frank loved bath time with Bandit. I’m not sure why, I always get scared she’ll hit her head on the ceramic tub or drown. But Frank loved it, I think it’s because he always loved bath time when he was a little kid. A small blush rose to my cheeks when I remembered how our moms used to give us baths together. There was no doubt some awkward bathtub picture somewhere.

“Come on, little Bandito, let’s go take a bath,” Frank sang.

He picked her up, eliciting a small coo from her. She could recognize us now and loved it when we got close enough so she could see our faces. Two months old and already so smart.

Frank took her away and I made myself busy by washing the dishes that were from dinner. I picked up Bandit’s toys and even a bit of Frank’s mess with his instruments too. Upstairs Frank was singing while he washed off the fussy baby. She wasn’t the biggest fan of baths but she usually stopped crying when she heard Frank sing.

“Almost done here,” Frank said.

I grabbed her towel and wrapped her up when he was done.

“Adorable,” Frank muttered.

We got her dressed into her pajamas and put her into her crib. We ignored her crying when he left, which was painful to both of us. 

“Night, Frankie,” I said.

“Goodnight,” he replied with a soft smile.

I went back to my bedroom and changed into my pajamas. I brushed my teeth before heading into bed where I quickly fell asleep.

_Frank’s hand ran up my thigh slowly and I sucked in a breath. His fingers just barely grazed over the bulge in my boxers but it was enough to send electricity down my spine._

_“Fuck me, Frank,” I whimpered. “Please.”_

_He bit his lip and pushed me back down against the bed. My heart was racing as I looked him in the eye._

_“Anything you want, Baby,” he whispered._

I was startled awake to Bandit crying over the baby monitor but Frank quickly got there to quiet her down. The next startling thing was the tent in my pajama pants that was more than uncomfortable. Not only because of the twisting pleasure but also because it was caused by a wet dream of my best friend. 

I got up and went to the bathroom, taking a quick cold shower as I tried to think of the most unattractive things I could. Eventually it went down but that didn’t stop the psychological effects of having wet dreams of someone you really should not be having wet dreams of. 

“Hey, Gerard,” Frank said as he barged in. 

I shrieked, trying to cover myself up as I looked at him through the glass shower. 

“Frank! You can’t just come in!” I shouted. 

“What? You’ve never cared before,” he said. “Just came to tell you that we’re almost out of formula.”

“Just get out!” I shrieked. 

“Okay, whatever,” he muttered. “Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Frank left and I sighed. I got out, grabbing a towel to wrap around my waist. I got dressed quickly and went down to find frank feeding bandit. 

“You don’t PMSing?” He asked. 

“Oh shut up,” I mumbled, venom clear in my voice.

I didn’t know why I was in such a bad mood over the dream and even moreso I didn’t know why I was taking it out on frank. 

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he said. 

“No, I’m sorry,” I replied. “I didn’t mean to snap, that wasn’t fair if me.”

“Is everything alright?” He asked. 

I nodded but couldn’t quite look him in the eye, it was just too weird after the dream. 

“Well, I made coffee,” he said. “And eggs. I even scrambled them because you like them scrambled.”

“Thank you, Frankie,” I said. 

Frank nodded and looked down at Bandit. I grabbed my breakfast and sat down next to him on the couch. 

“So, we should talk about getting a divorce,” I said. 

Frank looked up in surprise before nodding. 

“Yeah, I guess it’s about time,” he agreed but there was something weird about the tone of his voice. 

“I mean, Bandit’s already two months old so it should be okay for us to get a divorce now,” I said. 

“You’re gonna have to help me start looking for apartments then,” he said. 

“And you’ll help me look for a good daycare?” I asked. 

“You don’t need a daycare, I’ll watch her still,” he offered. 

“Thank you,” I said. 

“No need to thank me, I love her so much,” Frank said. 

I smiled softly, eating my eggs quickly. 

“We’ll go to court this week and file for a divorce,” I said. 

Frank nodded as the doorbell rang. I got up and smiled when I saw Kristin with Rowan on her hip. I told her last week I would babysit. 

“Thank you so much for watching her,” she said. “She’s very excited to see her baby cousin again. She’s already eaten so you don’t have to worry about that and I should be back in an hour or two.”

I smiled and took her from her arms. 

“Hi, Rowan,” I cooed. 

“Hi!” She exclaimed with a wave of her arm. 

I smiled and took her diaper bag. 

“Good luck at your meeting, tell Mikes I say hi,” I said. 

“Of course I will,” she said with her normal charming smile. “Thanks, Gerard, love you.”

Kristin gave me cheek a kiss before hurrying off to her car. I shut the door and let Rowan run off to Frank. 

“Hey there, Buggy,” Frank said. “You’ve gotten so big!”

“I free,” she said. 

“Three years old?” Frank asked and Rowan nodded. “Wow, you’re so old.”

“I gotted a toy,” she said. 

She held up a little McDonald’s happy meal toy with a proud smile. It was a little Polly Pocket that came with an extra dress. 

“Wow, that’s cool,” Frank said. 

Bandit finished her bottle and Frank made sure to burp her. 

“There we go, all done,” He cooed. 

“Wanna play?” Rowan asked, holding her Polly Pocket out to Bandit.

“Oh she’s too little to play with that,” I said. “I’m sure frank would love to play, though.”

“I would love nothing more,” Frank agreed. 

I took Bandit and Frank sat on the ground. Inside Rowan’s bag was more dolls and the two quickly set out to play, going to a fancy party for the best barbies. 

“Where’s Mommy?” Rowan whimpered when she realized her mother had left. 

“She’s gone but she’ll be back soon, sweetheart,” I said. 

Her lip quivered and she crawled into Frank’s lap. 

“You wanna watch tv?” He asked. “We can watch Paw Patrol.”

Rowan nodded and Frank turned on the tv. That seemed to bring her some comfort so she relaxed and thankfully didn’t start crying. She misses her mom a lot and cries when she isn’t around. Sometimes that made babysitting s little difficult. But her little blonde curls were so cute that I didn’t care at all. She had the biggest, prettiest brown eyes that caused Mikey to never be able to say no to her. 

“Let’s get you a little snack,” I said. 

I put Bandit into her seat and she watched the hanging toys above her in amazement and wonder. I went to the kitchen and grabbed one of the round, red apples, cutting them into pieces small enough for her. 

“Ooh, can I have a snack too?” Frank asked. 

“You’re a dork,” I said. “What do you want?”

“Anything is okay,” he said. “You know I don’t really like scrambled eggs so I didn’t eat too much.”

“Alright, I’ll make you a sandwich,” I said. “But after we get divorced I’m not making you sandwiches anymore.”

He smiled, turning away from me. I already knew how he liked his sandwiches; turkey, cheese, one tomato slice with mustard and mayonnaise. He was a weirdo but I guess he was my best friend and I had to deal with him. 

“Thanks,” He said when he took the sandwich. 

I sat on the couch and watched Rowan sit on his lap, Bandit falling asleep in her chair. For a moment, it really felt like we were a real family.


	15. Chapter 15

Frank and I got divorced. 

We were celebrating. 

I didn’t feel like celebrating. 

There was just this uneasy ball in the pit of my stomach. We were supposed to be drinking to celebrate but I was drinking to feel better. 

“Should we call to check on Bandit?” Frank asked. 

“Mikey’s got her for the night, she’s okay,” I said. 

“Hope you’re right about that,” he said. 

“I am,” I stated. 

I was a bit drunk, we both were. And maybe that’s why I leaned over and pressed my lips against his. But as soon as I did I knew I needed it, craved it with every ounce of my soul. 

“Fuck,” he muttered,

Frank held my hips and pulled me onto his lap. His tongue clashed with mine, hands making my way to tangle into his hair.

“We’re so drunk,” Frank muttered as we took a moment to pause.

“Do you wanna stop?” I asked.

“Fuck no,” he denied.

Frank flipped us over, pushing me back against the couch. He ground his hips against me slowly as his lips pressed against mine again. I gasped and pulled him close.

“Please,” I whimpered. “I need you.”

Frank began tugging at my clothes as my brain fuzzed from the alcohol. Everything began to fade a bit, nothing but pure lust running through my brain. 

-+-

I woke up with a pounding not only in my head but in my ass. I whimpered and realized I was laying on top of frank on the couch, both of us naked. My movement woke him up as I stood up and grabbed a blanket to wrap around myself. 

“What happened?” I asked. 

“You don’t remember?” He asked and I shook my head. “God, You were horny as shit. We fucked like rabbits, you didn’t want to stop. You came like three times.”

My eyes were wide as I shook my head. 

“I told you this couldn’t happen again,” I said. 

“You made the move on me first,” he said. “I asked if you wanted to stop and you said no.”

“It’s not supposed to happen, you should’ve told me no,” I said. “You should’ve stopped it.”

“You’re the one who shoved your hands down my pants and sucked my balls,” he said. 

I grimaced. “No, Frank. You should’ve stopped. I was drunk.”

“I was drunk too!” He exclaimed. “Gerard, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is!” I shouted. “I don’t want to have sex with you! That’s just gross!”

Frank looked taken aback as he stood up and pulled on some boxers that were on the ground, which was my pair. 

“Fine then, this won’t happen again,” he said. “And it won’t happen because I just won’t talk to you anymore, that’ll work.”

“I’ve got my daughter, you can leave,” I said. 

“She’s my daughter too,” Frank states and I raised my eyebrows. 

“Your daughter?” I asked, my face turning a bit red. “She is not your daughter. She’s mine.”

“You can’t say that, I was here raising her, I take care of her everyday while you’re at work,” Frank said. “She is mine.”

“Frank, we had a fucking deal,” I said. 

“Fine then, I guess I’ll just see you in court for a custody battle,” he said. 

“One that I’ll win you jobless hobo,” I said. “No way they’ll let you have her, you barely made it through high school with your two-wit brain you can’t raise a baby.”

Frank’s lips were pressed into a firm line. 

“Fine then,” he said. “Fuck you, Gerard. I’m not dumb. I can get a job. I can take care of her.”

“you can barely take care of yourself,” I said. “She is my daughter.”

“Funny when I spend more time with her,” he said. 

“I’m the one working to pay for her formula and diapers,” I said. 

“You’re choosing work over Bandit,” he said. 

“I would never,” I denied. “You are twisting this all out of order. This is my house. Just leave.”

Frank glared before getting dressed. He went upstairs before coming back with a bag of his things. 

“I’ll be back later for my belongings and my daughter,” he stated. 

“She’s mine,” I replied. 

Frank tilted his head up and walked out of the room. I collapsed to the ground in tears, curled up in my blanket.

Frank was my best friend. He was my only friend. I came to him for everything. I needed him. But Bandit was my daughter and I would do anything for her, even if it means losing one of the most important people in my life. 

The doorbell rang and I quickly got dressed before opening the door. Mikey stood there with Bandit, a cheery smile on his face that I really wasn’t in the mood for. 

“How was she?” I asked. 

“Oh, she was just an angel,” Mikey said. “What’s wrong? You don’t look too great.”

“Just hungover,” I said. 

“You want me to keep her a little while longer?” He offered. 

“No, that’s okay,” I said. “I’ve missed her.”

Mikey smiled and walked in, setting down her bag. 

“So, you and frank must be pretty thrilled to not be married to each other anymore,” he said. 

“Yeah, ecstatic,” I mumbled. 

“You okay?” He asked. 

“Yeah, Sorry, Just my killer headache,” I said. 

“I brought you just the remedy,” he said, holding out a Starbucks cup. 

“Oh god, you’re the best,” I groaned, taking the hot drink. 

Mikey smiled, sitting on the couch. 

“What’s your plan now that you’re divorced?” He asked. 

“I don’t know, just raise Bandit I guess,” I said. “And if I meet someone then I meet someone, that wouldn’t be too bad either.”

“I hope you’re really happy, you really deserve it,” he said. 

I nodded and Mikey sighed before standing up. 

“I should go, gotta drop Ro off at mom’s,” he said. “Where’s frank?”

“Left this morning, I think he’s going to his mom’s,” I said. “Probably gonna stay there for a little bit.”

“How come?” He asked. “Thought he was gonna continue crashing here until he found a new apartment.”

“Yeah, we kind of got into a little bit of an argument so he isn’t gonna be staying here while trying to find a new place,” I said.

“Argument about what?” He asked.

“Um, well, it’s kinda hard to explain,” I said. “And it’s maybe a little bit personal.”

“That’s alright,” Mikey said. “I’ll see you later, Gerard.”

“Yeah, see ya,” I replied.

I walked him out and sighed, looking at Bandit with water eyes.

“Oh, babygirl,” I muttered. “What are we gonna do?”

I sniffled, picking her up and rocking her gently. 

“I love you so much, I’ll make sure that nothing ever, ever comes between us,” I said.

I looked at Bandit, considering to go and call Frank. I wanted to try and make everything up with him, he was my best friend. No matter what he was always there for me. And recently I’ve just had this feeling where I wanted to stare at him but at the same time I also wanted to slap him. It was an odd feeling, a desire to constantly be with him. 

Even when I wasn’t with him I was constantly thinking about him and wishing that he would call me. I don’t know why I was feeling this or what it was. Maybe Frank felt the same way. Maybe this tension is some weird emotion happening between us. Maybe it was just the weird domesticity that has been happening. It’s put us in an odd place together.

I pulled out my phone and typed out a text.

_Gerard: Hey, I just wanted to apologize, I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you because it wasn’t just your fault that we...you know. It was a mistake between both of us and I shouldn’t have lashed out. I think I was just hungover and hungry. I’m sorry._

I stared at the text for a long moment before erasing the text and setting the phone down. I should wait to see how this all goes. Chances are that this is going to all blow over. Frank is going to remember that he isn’t a baby person and didn’t want children and then this is going to all just be dropped. There was no way that he was going to actually bring me to court over the custody of the daughter that we both agreed was mine.

But maybe...she wasn’t.

Frank did spend a lot of time with her taking care of her and loving her. There were times when both of us even referred to her as his daughter too. Maybe it was inevitable for this to happen. Maybe we should just get married again and adopt a second child for him this time. But this is Bandit and we both love Bandit, we want to keep her.

For a split second I thought of us keeping her together. There was an image of the two of us being married again and loving each other. The three of us being like a normal, loving family. There was a clenching of my heart, there was nothing more than I wanted than that.

The realization made my heart stop. 

That’s what I wanted?

I wanted a relationship with Frank?

Maybe that’s why I keep going back to him. Keep sleeping with him. Keep getting drunk and wanting to be with him. What am I, crazy? Frank is my best friend in the whole world, after all. I couldn’t possible have feelings for him. That doesn’t make any sense at all.

“It’s gonna be okay, Bandit, Daddy’s got you,” I said. “And I am never going to let you go.”


	16. Chapter 16

Ever since we argued it has seemed lonelier in this house. Even with Bandit it just felt like there was something missing. I hated being the one to concede but I knew I had to apologize to frank, it wasn’t his fault that I slept with him. It has happened multiple times now and I remember being pretty willing. 

“Oh hello, Gerard,” Frank’s mom said when she opened the door after I knocked. 

“Hey, is frank here?” I asked. 

“Up in his room,” she said with a bright smile as she stepped aside to let me in. “I don’t know what happened but Junior has been real down lately, I think he misses you and your daughter.”

I nodded and walked upstairs. Frank’s door had a poster on it that said ‘keep out’ with a skull, he put it up during his angsty teen years. I stepped inside and found him sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at a picture frame. I sat beside him and glanced over, it was a photo of him, me and Bandit together. 

“I’m sorry,” I whispered after a few moments of silence. “None of this is your fault, it takes two.”

“It’s not the fact that you blame me,” he said quietly. “It’s the fact that you hate it, the fact that you feel the need to be so drunk you won’t remember.”

“What are you talking about, Frank?” I asked. 

He set the photo down and looked up at me with watery eyes. His shaky hand slowly reached up to cup my cheek and my heart skipped a beat. 

“You hate it,” he whispered. 

“I don’t,” I denied. 

Frank looked like he didn’t believe me as he pulled his hand away. He looked down at his lap instead. I’ve never seen frank like this before, so broken. 

“Where’s Bandit?” He asked. 

“Miley’s got her, Ro really wanted to see her cousin,” I said. 

“I miss her,” Frank whimpered. “I love her so much.”

I didn’t say anything, just glanced at the picture of her on his nightstand. He’s been away for two weeks, I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like being away from my beautiful daughter for two whole weeks. 

“Gerard, why do you always have to be drunk just to kiss me?” He asked in a voice so soft that I almost didn’t hear. 

“I-I don’t mean to kiss you,” I said. 

“Am I that repulsive?” He asked. 

I shook my head, reaching over to hold his hand. Frank looked up and sniffled. He hesitated before slowly leaning forward to press his lips against mine. I pulled away, staring into his desperate green eyes. 

“I-I’m sorry,” he whimpered. 

I shook my head, tangling my hand into his hair. My lips collided with his in a kiss that sent sparks shooting up my body. It was the first time we’ve kissed while I was sober and it was so much better this way. I kissed him roughly, pulling him close. Frank pushed me down against his bed and I whimpered, hooking a leg around his waist. 

“I love you,” Frank whispered. 

He kissed down my neck, hands gripping onto my hips. 

“Shit,” I breathed. “M-maybe we should slow down.”

Frank pulled away and nodded. He stood up, moving to stand against the wall. He looked uncomfortable now, looking down at his feet. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” he mumbled. 

“No, I-it's not that I don’t like it,” I corrected as I stood up and took a few steps closer. “Because I did really like it. I did. I just…I want to do it right this time, I want to take things slow. I came here to apologize and tell you that I really missed you, I want you to come move back in. Bandit misses you too, the house isn’t the same when you’re not here.”

Frank looked up, a small smile on his face. He pushed himself off the wall and hugged me tight. I grinned, holding him tight. 

“You’re the best friend I could ever ask for,” he said. “I’m sorry about all the things that I said, I really didn’t mean any of it and I would never actually take bandit from you.”

“Sorry for calling you a hobo,” I apologized. “You’re not dumb and you’re amazing with kids, Bandit loves you so much. You are her father.”

“Why don’t we go pick her up and then we go back home?” He suggested. 

I nodded and we went out to my car. 

“Good timing too,” Frank said as I pulled out, “My mom was getting all finicky again like when I was in high school, she even started going through my room and got pissed at me for finding my cigarettes. Like, I’m almost thirty, I can smoke if I want to.”

“You’re smoking again?” I asked with a small frown. 

“I might have picked it up again,” Frank said with a small shrug. 

“You can’t smoke around Bandit,” I said. 

“Yeah, Yeah, Of course,” he agreed. “I would never even think about it. And I’m not smoking a whole lot, just a cig or two a day.”

“Can you quit again?” I asked. 

Frank smiled. “Yeah, I don’t want Bandit raised with a smoker.”

“At least it’s not like high school where you were smoking two or three packs a day,” I said. 

“And the pot to add onto that,” he said. “You should’ve gotten high with me, you would always freak out when I smoked weed. You were such a goody two shoes.”

I rolled my eyes as we got to Mikey’s house. We walked inside and I found Kristin holding Bandit. 

“Oh, my sweet little baby,” Frank cooed as he took her. “I missed you so much, beautiful. Don’t worry, Daddy’s here. Oh, you’ve gotten so much bigger already. It’s been so long. I missed you so much.”

I smiled as Mikey walked in. 

“Ah, you two made up,” he said with a smile. “I’m glad, it’s weird seeing the two of you apart from each other.”

“You two taking her home now?” Kristin asked. 

“Yeah, I think we’re just gonna have some family time,” I said. “Thank you for watching her.”

We gave them hugs before heading back home. Frank put Bandit up for her nap before the two of us sat on the couch together. 

“So, What is exactly gonna happen now?” I asked. 

Frank glanced over at me, his eyes dipping down to look at my lips for a moment before looking me in the eyes again. He kissed me slowly, pulling me over to straddle his hips. 

“Fuck, Frank,” I muttered. “This is…this is weird. But, like, it’s still so good.”

Frank smiled, hand tangling into my hair. He moved it to gently cup my cheek and I leaned into the soft touch. The comforting touch made my heart skip a beat. I rested my forehead against his, a soft smile spreading over my face. 

“Frank, it’s been a really long time since I’ve been in a relationship,” I said. “I may be a little bit rusty, or something.”

“When’s the last time you’ve had sex with someone other than me?” Frank asked. 

“No, I don’t know,” I mumbled. “A long time.”

Frank nodded, his fingers playing with my hair. 

“You okay?” He asked. “You okay with all of this?”

“I…I think so,” I said. “Relationships make me nervous, you know that. But you make my heart race and my brain get all foggy. I might be a little awkward or bad at this but I really do want to try.”

“So, does this make us an official couple then?” He asked. “Does this make you my boyfriend or are we just gonna skip all that again and get married in Vegas?”

“No, I don’t know,” I muttered. “I said I wanted to keep it slow. Maybe we can just be…best friends with a little extra for now.”

“Friends with benefits?” He chuckled. 

“No, that’s another thing, no sex,” I stated. 

“Awe, What?” He complained. 

“No sex, we are going to take this slow,” I said. “We’re gonna start over again and not have a bunch of drunken sex, we’ll act like a normal couple.”

“Mm, fine,” he mumbled. “Okay, but are we going to still continue sleeping in separate rooms?”

“Can we Please?” I asked. 

“Whatever makes you comfortable,” he said and after a moment added, “Baby.”

I smiled softly and nervously reached over to hold his hand. He kissed my knuckles and I smiled, resting my head down on his shoulder. 

“I love you so much,” he whispered. 

I opened my mouth, wanting to say it back but no words came out. We’ve always told each other that we loved each other but it was just different this time. There was a whole new meaning added to the word love now.

“I-I love you too,” I said. “I really do.”

Crying started upstairs and Frank gasped. 

“C-can I go get her?” He asked. 

“Of course you can,” I said. 

Frank went upstairs and I picked things up around the house, making sure that nothing was out of place. 

“You know, this place doesn’t always have to look like a show home,” Frank said as he walked downstairs with Bandit. “It’s perfect even if your ceramic ducks are half a centimeter off.”

“It must be perfect,” I stated, holding his hand. 

“Come on,” he said. “Our Little Princess is awake, she wants to spend a little bit of time with her daddies.”

Frank’s phone started ringing and I took Bandit. He frowned for a minute before going into the other room to answer. I watched the doorway as I sat on the couch and grinned when he finally came back in. 

“What was that all about?” I asked. 

“Just Jamia,” He said with a shrug. “She entered this writing competition and wanted to tell me that she got second place.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” I said.

“She’s special,” he stated. “She’s got a special talent, if Bandit gets even just an ounce of that then she’ll be more than amazing.”

I patted the spot beside me and he sat down. Everything seemed whole again, now that I’ve got both Bandit and Frank.


	17. Chapter 17

Sleep never seemed to want to greet me that night. I tossed and turned but couldn’t get comfortable. Even Bandit was asleep peacefully. After staring at the clock I got up and walked down the hall to Frank’s room. He was sound asleep as I went and crawled into bed with him. Frank hummed, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me closer. Sleep quickly began to lull over me and I passed out in his arms. 

The bed was empty when I woke up, much to my disappointment. I could smell food cooking, which was definitely a first. Frank’s cooking never really went beyond cereal and ramen. 

“What are you doing?” I asked when I saw Frank standing over the stove. 

“Well, I made a baby burrito and that inspired me to make some breakfast burritos,” he said. 

“Baby burrito?” I asked. “Oh god, what did you do to Bandit?”

I looked around and saw Bandit in her little bouncer seat, swaddled neatly in a pink receiving blanket. 

“Where’d you learn how to swaddle?” I asked. 

“YouTube,” Frank said. “I always see you do it and I wanted to figure out how to do it myself because Little B was crying and I didn’t know how to calm her down. She looks really comfortable. Can you swaddle me?”

I rolled my eyes and picked up my daughter. She smiled back up at me, letting out a quiet coo. 

“Thanks for letting me sleep in, I really needed it,” I said. 

“Of course,” he said. “You came into my room really late. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just having a hard time sleeping, I guess,” I said with a small shrug. 

“Is everything alright?” He asked. 

I smiled, going over to kiss his cheek. 

“I love how much you care,” I said. 

Frank laughed. “It’s weird. It’s domestic. I never thought that I would do anything domestic in my life. It’s unsettling but also kind of nice, actually. Let me see my little babygirl.”

I held Bandit out and he leaned over to kiss her forehead. 

“Did I do the swaddle correctly?” Frank asked. “I had to redo it like a million times.”

“No, it’s actually good,” I said as I inspected the folds. “Could do to be a little bit tighter, maybe.”

“I know, the video kept saying to pull it tight but I just kept getting worried that I was gonna hurt her,” he said. “I mean, she’s just so tiny and fragile, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I don’t care what I have to do, I’m gonna keep her safe for the rest of her life.”

I smiled, looking down at the food. 

“You’ve learned to cook too,” I remarked. “Never thought I’d see that before. You always live just off of pizza and ramen and beer.”

Frank shrugged. “I’m a dad now. Woah, I still won’t get used to hearing that or saying that. Never thought that I’d ever be a dad.”

“How does it feel?” I asked. 

“Really fucking good,” Frank said and I scowled. “Sorry, Sorry, no swearing around Bandit. It slipped.”

His phone began to ring and he sighed. 

“Will you grab that for me?” He asked. 

I set Bandit back into her seat and picked his phone up. 

“Hey, Frank’s phone,” I answered. 

“Oh, uh, is Frank there?” The person asked. 

“Yeah, he’s just got his hands tied at the moment,” I said. “Who is this? I forgot to look to see who was calling.”

“It’s Jamia,” the person said. “Should I call back?”

“Frank should be done in a minute,” I replied. “I’m sorry, What was the reason that you called?”

“Um, it’s just…I just need to talk to Frank,” she said. 

“Alright, just give him a minute,” I said. 

Frank finished and took the phone. 

“Hey, Mia, what’s up?” He asked. 

Frank listened for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows and going into the other room. I sat at the table, waiting for him to join me before I finally just started eating alone when he took too long. My fork made soft clinks against my plate, filling the silence in the room. 

“What do you think he’s talking about, Bandit?” I asked, trying to fill up the emptiness. 

Frank didn’t come out until I was already finished and washing the dishes. 

“Oh, I was hoping to eat breakfast with you,” I mumbled. “I made you coffee, though.”

“Thanks, Baby,” he sighed, kissing my cheek. 

Frank poured himself a cup before sitting down in front of his cold breakfast. I dried my hands off and sighed as I leaned back against the counter. There was a distant look on his face as he poked at his food. 

“So, What was all of that about?” I asked. 

Frank looked up. “Oh, she just wanted to talk. Her parents were arguing and her sister got blackout drunk yesterday and wasn’t answering her phone. She just needs someone to be there for her. She didn’t grow up like we did, we were lucky. We had family who loved us and a pretty decent house and food in our fridges. She doesn’t have all that. I just want to be there for her emotionally since no one else is. I know what it’s like to be an angsty teen, having someone there to listen to you really does help a lot.”

I smiled, going over to sit on his lap. 

“You’re so sweet,” I muttered, kissing his forehead. 

Frank smiled, rubbing my back gently. 

“This is still a little weird,” I admitted. 

Frank laughed and nodded. 

“Oh god, I’m so glad you agree,” he said. “I thought I was the only one.”

I got up and went over to Bandit. 

“Jamia’s doing alright?” I asked. 

“Yeah, just going through a hard time,” he said. “Her boyfriend left her when she got pregnant. Her sister is always busy, her parents are always fighting. She’s got a little brother but she says he’s just a twerp. She’s just lonely. She gets really upset when her parents argue.”

I nodded, gently caressing Bandit’s cheek. 

“She gave me my beautiful little angel,” I whispered. “I am so grateful for that.”

Frank ate quietly as I picked up some of the books that were laying out on the coffee table.

“Maybe we can invite her over for dinner tonight?” Frank suggested. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I just don’t want her around Bandit. Bandit can recognize her as her mother and I don’t want her to reject me in favor of Jamia.”

“I think she’s old enough that she can’t tell Jamia is her mom as well,” he said. “And Bandit loves you, she won’t just reject you. We can put her to bed before dinner, that way she’s away and asleep while Jamia’s here. Bandit won’t even have to see her at all.”

“Yeah, I think that sounds good,” I agreed. “I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to repay her. She chose us out of everyone, she gave me a beautiful little girl.”

“I’ll give her a call,” Frank said. 

He put his dirty plate into the sink and I cringed. He went to the other room with his phone while I went over to quickly begin scrubbing. I made sure the plate was shiny enough you could practically see your own reflection. 

“Okay she said—“ Frank cut himself off when he walked back in. “Gerard, you didn’t have to wash my plate for me. I was gonna do it after I called her.”

“Well, I like to clean,” I said. “It’s therapeutic.”

“Weirdo,” Frank said as he picked up Bandit and began to speak in his baby voice. “Isn’t your daddy such a weirdo? Yes he is! Yes he is!” 

Bandit smiled, looking up at her with her big, light brown eyes. 

“Give her some tummy time,” I said. 

Frank unswaddled her and laid her on her stomach on a blanket. Bandit immediately began to fuss, kicking her legs. She wasn’t the biggest fan of tummy time.

“Awe, babygirl, it’s okay,” Frank said, sitting in front of her. “I know you just want to be held and swaddled but it’s okay, I’ll give you some hugs and kisses soon.”

I smiled, wiping down the table. Bandit was still fussy but was thankfully starting to calm down as Frank waved a rattle in front of her face. 

“Never thought I’d be here,” he mumbled. “I really, really like it.”

He kissed the top of Bandit’s head, a huge smile on his face. 

“Babygirl, you’re so beautiful,” he said. “I’m so glad that I have you.”

Frank stood up and came over, wrapping his arms around my waist. 

“I’m sorry about being a dick and saying that I was gonna take Bandit away,” Frank apologized. “I was just angry and I really didn’t mean any of it. I was never actually going to get into a custody battle with you. I was just scared of losing Bandit because I love her so much. It wasn’t fair of me, we had a deal that I would help you get a kid and that’s it.”

I smiled, giving him a soft kiss. 

“You don’t need to keep apologizing,” I said. “Really shitty things were said on both sides. Maybe we can just forget about it and put it behind us.”

Frank nodded, resting his head against my chest. It was a small motion but yet it made my heart skip a beat. I’ve never seen Frank so gentle and caring before. I loved every second of it. I ran my fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead. 

“Let’s go on a date,” I said. “An actual real date where we get dressed up nice and everything.”

Frank smiled up at me, giving me a kiss. Bandit started fussing again and we both immediately went over to coo over her.


	18. Chapter 18

I heard the door open downstairs and I walked down. Jamia gave Frank a hug and I smiled, giving her one too. 

“How have you been doing?” I asked. 

“Pretty good,” she said. “Been trying to write a lot more. Got some poems and song verses, you wanna read ‘em, Frankie?”

Jamia clutched a little black journal to her chest hopefully. 

“Of course,” frank agreed. “I would love to read them, Mia.”

She stepped in and smiled. 

“Where’s Bandit?” She asked. 

“Oh, she’s already been put to bed,” I said. “Sound asleep.”

“She’s like a little angel,” Frank said. 

I gave him a kiss on the cheek, smiling happily. 

“Gerard here went over the top,” Frank said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “He made spinach enchiladas with some guacamole and rice on the side and even made vegan chocolate cake for dessert.”

“Nothing meat?” Jamia asked. 

“I’m vegetarian, remember,” Frank said. 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” she mumbled. “Um, I brought some flowers.”

She held them out nervously and I took them. 

“Thank you, these are very pretty,” I said. 

I set them on the counter as she sat on the couch. 

“Well now, the enchiladas should be done,” I said. “Frankie, would you mind grabbing them out of the oven for me?”

Frank nodded, going to the oven. 

“Would you like a pop?” I asked. “We’ve got Pepsi.”

“That sounds good,” Jamia said. 

She sat at the table while I poured a can of Pepsi into a glass for her. Frank served us food while I poured the two of us wine. 

“How has school been?” I asked. 

Jamia purses her lips as she looked down. 

“Well, um, i-i haven’t really been going,” she admitted. “I kind of dropped out.”

“What?” Frank gasped. “Why would you do that?”

“Because it’s dumb and pointless,” she said. “I’m gonna be a writer anyways, I don’t really need big degrees for that.”

“A high school one would be nice, at least,” Frank stated. “Jamia, you can’t just drop out of high school, you’re sixteen. Your parents really gave permission?”

“They don’t give a shit about me,” she said with a small shrug. “They signed all the papers. They don’t care.”

I frowned, taking a small bite of my food. 

“I don’t think that was the brightest idea,” Frank said. 

“You’re the one who told me to follow my dreams,” Jamia said. 

“I never told you to drop out of high school,” he said. “This is your future, Mia, you can’t just waste it like that.”

I raised my eyebrows, looking at Frank curiously. There was such a fatherly tone to his voice. 

“I didn’t come here to get lectured,” Jamia said. “I thought you were chill, Frank.”

Frank didn’t say anything, just ate quietly. I was pretty curious too. 

“So, How is your writing going then?” I asked, trying to change the topic of conversation. 

“It’s going good, my poem is going to be printed in a newspaper,” she said proudly, looking to Frank in what almost seemed like a hope of approval from him. 

“That’s great, Mia,” he said but his tone stayed the same, quiet and maybe even a little bit bitter.

I put my hand on his knee, giving a soft, comforting squeeze. 

“That’s great, Jamia, I’m sure your sister is proud of you,” I said. 

“She is, she told me to send her a copy of it once it releases,” she said. “I can get you one too, Frank.”

Frank forced a small smile as he nodded. 

“How is your brother?” I asked. 

“Well, he’s still shoving legos up his nose so pretty much the same as always,” Jamia said with a small shrug. “He just turned, like, nine or something. I can never remember his age. We don’t really celebrate birthdays in our house.”

“Well, tell him that I said happy birthday,” I said. “How is, you know, your boyfriend?”

“Not my boyfriend anymore, still won’t talk to me at all,” she said. “But, like, ‘bitch, you’re the one that got me pregnant.’ It’s just annoying that he ghosted me. And turns out you find out who your true friends are when you get pregnant. All of them ditched me, too.”

“Well, You’ve always got a shoulder to cry on here,” I said. 

Jamia smiled and took a bite. 

“Oh, wow,” she muttered. “I was unsure at first because I’m not a big spinach fan but this is really good.”

“Oh, thank you,” I said. “A small part of me always wanted to be a chef. I thought that would be really fun. But I like my life now, I like my job and my boyfriend and my daughter.”

“Boyfriend?” Jamia asked. 

“Oh, um,” I stumbled, looking over at Frank. “I thought he told you. We hit a rough patch and kind of impulsively got divorced but we got back together. We’re gonna have a nicer wedding this time, no courthouse.”

“We are?” Frank asked. 

“Yeah, just not for a while,” I said. “Not until Bandit is bigger.”

“I’m sorry to hear you two were split,” Jamia said. 

I shrugged, squeezing Frank’s knee again. He shook my hand away and I scowled softly. Bandit’s cries began sounding over the baby monitor and Frank stood up quickly, shaking the table. He went upstairs without a word and I sighed. 

“I-Is everything alright?” Jamia asked. 

“You know what, I will be right back,” I said. 

I went upstairs and found Frank reaching into the crib, a hand resting on Bandit’s stomach. 

“Everything okay?” I asked. 

“Yeah, she just wanted a comforting touch, she’s starting to doze off again already,” Frank said. 

“I meant with you, silly,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing,” he dismissed. “I-I don’t know. It’s just…Jamia is sixteen.”

“Yeah, and?” I asked. 

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “We probably shouldn’t keep her waiting down there too long, she probably feels awkward.”

He went to walk passed me when I grabbed his hand to stop him. 

“Just tell me that you’re okay,” I said. 

Frank smiled softly and gave me a soft kiss. He walked down and I sighed, looking at Bandit sleeping peacefully. I followed and the table conversations returned to normal, Frank even started to perk up a bit. 

“How did you get here?” I asked as I served dessert. “Are you gonna need a ride home? I’ll be happy to give you a lift.”

“Oh, no, I drove here,” Jamia said. “My mom let me borrow her car.”

Frank sipped his wine, leaning back in his chair. 

“Have you written any new music?” Jamia asked frank. 

He shrugged. “I’ve been trying to write something for Bandit. A cute little song about her.”

Jamia smiled, taking a bite. 

“This is actually really good, considering it’s vegan,” Jamia said. 

“Yeah, it’s a little weird changing my diet for frank but I really don’t mind, all the food is still really good if it’s prepared properly,” I said. 

“This is so good it’s making me want to go vegan,” she joked. 

Frank smiled, reaching over to hold my hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, making my heart race the way he always seemed to make it. God, why does he have such a strong hold over me?

“I think you look nice, Frank,” Jamia said. 

“Doesn’t he? I finally convinced him to shower,” I said. “And I picked out this cute sweater for him.”

I looked over his dark blue sweater, it was soft and loose and looked perfect on him. 

“Finally all fancy shmancy,” Frank said. “Just wait until our date next week, I’m gonna go all out.”

“A date?” Jamia asked curiously. “Where are you going?”

“I was hoping we could go out to a fancy restaurant then maybe a romantic walk in the park,” I said. 

“We can do anything you want, Baby,” Frank said and I grinned. 

“I think that sounds like a really good time,“ Jamia said. “I wish someone would take me out like that.”

“One day you’ll find someone,” I promised. 

Frank nodded, looking down at his dessert. 

“Well, I hope that you two have a lot of fun,” she said. “Honestly, you two met like it was a fairytale or something, everything is just so perfect.”

I held Frank’s hand, looking over at him. Maybe it was like a fairytale. It was a kind of messy fairytale but a fairytale nonetheless. I had him and there’s nothing more that I could ever want. 

“More wine, babe?” Frank asked. 

“Thank you,” I said as he poured me another glass. 

“Ooh, can I have some?” Jamia asked. 

“You are sixteen, you can stick with Pepsi,” Frank stated. 

“You told me stories of how you would steal your mom’s liquor and get drunk at fifteen,” Jamia complained. 

“Well, you’re a better person than me,” he said. 

“I’m a teen mom, not that much better,” she mumbled. 

“Well, not really a mom, just a teen pregnancy,” I said. 

“Yeah, just that,” she agreed. “It’s getting late, maybe I should get going.”

“I’ll walk you to the car,” Frank offered. 

I gave her a hug before the two stepped outside. I went to go clean up the dishes when I heard something strange outside. When I pulled back the curtains, I found Jamia and Frank arguing by her car. Jamia crossed her arms and that only seemed to upset Frank more. 

I was about to go out and intervene when Frank stopped and took a few deep breaths, his chest rising and falling. He placed a hand on her arm and said something softly before pulling her into a hug. He held her for a minute before kissing her forehead and letting her get into the car and drive away. 

“What was all that?” I asked when he walked in. 

“What?” Frank asked, taking off his shoes. 

“World War Three with some nuclear words,” I stated. 

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Frank dismissed. “You want help cleaning up or do you want to do it alone to get your rocks off?”

“Oh fuck off, dick,” I said. “Help me wash the dishes.”

Frank smiled, going to the kitchen but I still just kept thinking about their argument.


	19. Chapter 19

I was in the middle of a make out session with Frank but my mind just kept drifting off. I pulled away and Frank looked down at me with furrowed eyebrows. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. 

“Is there something going on between you and Jamia?” I asked and he frowned in confusion. “Like, you know, did something happen between you two or—“

“Wait,” Frank interrupted. “Are you asking if we had a sexual interaction? Gerard, she’s fucking sixteen years old, I—“

“No,” I said, quickly stopping him. “I didn’t mean it like that, I know you wouldn’t date anyone that young. I meant did you two have some sort of tension? You were acting so weird at dinner tonight and then you two started fighting.”

“I don’t know what it is,” he sighed, laying back on the bed. “I just got really upset when I heard she dropped out of high school. I just want better for her. I just…She’s like a little sister to me or like a daughter.”

“And you’re upset that she’s not going to go as far now that she’s a dropout?” I asked and he nodded. 

“I want her to be successful, I want the best for her,” he said. “It’s the same way I feel with Bandit.”

“What was the argument about?” I asked. 

“Just about her dropping out and how she shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “And then she got upset and said I couldn’t tell her what to do with her life. It was just a mess, honestly.”

I kissed his cheek. “It’s nice that you worry about her.”

It was quiet before I started giggling. 

“I can’t believe you thought I would think you were having an affair with her,” I laughed. 

“Oh come on, you were heavily implying it,” he said. “That’s so gross and definitely illegal, she’s just a kid.”

“I think she does still have a little bit of a crush on you,” I said. “It’s cute, though. It’s a little schoolgirl crush.”

Frank looked down at me, smiling softly. 

“I got a little crush on you,” he said. 

I giggled and leaned up to press my lips against his. He pushed me back against the mattress and I whimpered, tangling my hands into his hair. 

“Wait, wait, remember the rule?” I asked.

Frank sighed and pulled away, kissing my cheek.

“But I don’t want you to put a divide between you and Jamia,” I said. “I’m glad we had her over and I got to talk to her more, she really is a great girl. And she really does need you, all her friends ditched her when she got pregnant and her parents argue all the time and her sister is always busy. She really does need you.”

“I know, I’m not trying to push her away,” Frank said. “I didn’t mean to get upset with her. I promise, I made it up and we’re okay.”

“And, well, maybe she can come over when Bandit isn’t asleep,” I said.

“Are you serious?” Frank asked, propping himself up on one elbow to look down at me.

“Yeah, I mean, Bandit’s already almost four months old, she probably won’t be able to recognize Jamia as her mother,” I said. “If she does I may cry and take Bandit to run away but--”

“Even if she does recognize Jamia, it doesn’t mean that she’s just going to push you away,” Frank interrupted. “Yeah, Bandit may know that Jamia is her mom but she also knows that you’re her dad. She loves you so much and she isn’t going to push you away just because she recognizes Jamia as her mom.”

I nodded, gently cupping his cheek. He leaned down, giving me a soft kiss.

“Maybe I should go back to my room now,” Frank said. “I don’t wanna keep you up too late.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “About, you know, being patient with me wanting to take things slow and not have sex and not sleep in the same room.”

“No, it’s okay, I get it,” he said. “I haven’t been the best, always. I know that I’ve had hookups and late night stands and shit. I do need to prove myself to you that I have changed. But...I’m ready now. I am actually ready for a serious relationship. And I want that serious relationship to be with you. I know I may not be completely trustworthy and I understand why. But I like that we’re taking things slow, it’s different and nice.”

“Thank you,” I said. 

Frank gave me a kiss before he left. I snuggled up in the bed, just about to fall asleep when Bandit started crying. Frank and I opened our doors at the same time and we both stared each other down like two cowboys about to duel.

“Dibs,” I said.

“Oh, that’s not fair,” Frank mumbled.

He went back into his room and I smiled successfully, going to pick up my daughter. I gave her a bottle down in the kitchen, smiling happily. Frank was doing a lot better now, he was like a real dad. He even helped do the dishes and cleaned up the living room without me having to ask him to do it. Frank even volunteered to take out the trash. He hates taking out the trash.

“Isn’t your daddy just the best?” I asked Bandit in my little baby voice.

When she finished, she began to fuss and turn her head away. I burped her before carrying her back upstairs to bed. I stopped outside Frank’s door, wanting to go in and cuddle before I shook my head, going back into my own room. 

The next morning I woke up to Frank crawling into my bed, holding Bandit in his arms. I smiled, rubbing my eyes.

“Mm, my two babies,” I muttered. 

Frank smiled and kissed my cheek.

“We wanted to say good morning to you,” he said and picked up Bandit’s little arm and waved it, saying in his baby voice, “Good morning, Daddy, I wove you!”

I sat up, giving him a kiss. I kissed Bandit’s forehead next and sighed.

“How could I ever have become so lucky?” I asked. “A beautiful boyfriend and a beautiful daughter.”

“This is really amazing,” Frank agreed. “I never thought I would be here but I am really glad that I am.”

“How about I make us some breakfast?” I suggested. “Some waffles.”

“Oh god, that sounds so good,” he muttered. “I was just about to get Little B dressed and then I was hoping that maybe the three of us could go out for breakfast. I was thinking we could get some IHOP or something.”

“That does sound pretty nice,” I said. “You know what, let’s do that. We haven’t gone out to eat in forever.”

“Great, I already fed B so she’ll be good to go, I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said.

I got up after he left, going to the bathroom to use the toilet and brush my teeth. I got dressed into a simple sweater with some jeans and found Frank dressed in something similar. Bandit was wearing a little white sweater with some pink leggings and white socks.

“She is very excited,” he said. “Isn’t that right, Bandit?”

She chewed on her fist, staring at the wall.

“I’m excited, it’s been so busy with Bandit and work I feel like I really need this break,” I said. “Some apple juice, pancakes and coffee sounds so freaking good right now.”

“Good because it’s on me,” Frank said.

“Frank, you’re a stay at home dad, what money are you gonna use to pay for it?” I asked. “Let me handle this and then later we can maybe...you know.”

Frank grinned. “Really?”

“Well, not all the way but maybe we can do something,” I said.

“Maybe I can get down on my knees for you,” Frank suggested.

I blushed, picking up Bandit and putting her into her seat. I put on her little hat and tucked her blanket over her. We got her into the car before driving down to IHOP.

“Can we get a booth?” Frank asked. “For three? Well, two plus baby.”

“Oh, she is just the sweetest thing,” the hostess cooed to Bandit. “Follow me right this way.”

We followed her to a booth and I set Bandit’s car seat down.

“Can I start you two off with something to drink?” The waitress asked.

“Apple juice and coffee, please,” I said.

“Just an orange juice,” Frank said.

She smiled and walked off, leaving us alone.

“I think it’s really nice to be hanging out together like a real family,” Frank said. “Not just some pretend shit—crap—like what we did with Bert. This is real, we’re an actual real family.”

I smiled, holding his hand across the table. 

“And how come Bandit gets to sit on your side?” Frank asked. 

“You’re dramatic,” I said. “It’ll be fine if she sits next to me for one meal. You’ll have her all to yourself when i go to work tomorrow.”

“Fine but we are gonna have the best game of peek-a-boo ever and you’re gonna miss out on it,” Frank said. 

I smiled. “You know, I really like the dad version of you. You’re a lot kinder, less vulgar.”

Frank smiled, as the waiter set our drinks down and we ordered our meal. As soon as she left, frank shot his straw wrapper at me. 

“Oh my god, I swear you’re a child,” I muttered. “Look at the examples you’re setting for Bandit.”

But she just waved her arms, interested at the mysterious flying object that hit her dad in the face. 

“Okay, truce,” Frank said. 

“You call truce after I get my revenge,” I said. 

“Are you gonna get revenge?” Frank asked. 

“No, truce,” I stated. 

“You’re ridiculous,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

I smiled, squeezing his hand. 

“Frank, I love you,” I said softly. 

“I love you too,” he replied. “Now, if we’re done with the sappy stuff, I got a way to call the winner.”

He grabbed a kid’s mat and crayon off a nearby table, challenging me to a battle of tic-tac-toe.


	20. Chapter 20

Maybe our first date was more on the awkward side. We were both nervous at first but by the end we were more relaxed. However, it wasn’t very on the romantic side, we were both acting more like friends than lovers. Maybe that’s just because it was what we were used to. I wanted it to be romantic and sweet.

“Gerard, is everything okay?” Frank asked on the way home.

I nodded, noticing a figure sitting on the porch when we pulled up.

“Who’s that?” Frank asked. “Were you expecting someone? Kristin’s car is still here.”

I got out and saw Jamia reading a book on the front porch.

“Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing?” I asked.

She looked up, tears staining her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, my parents were drunk and arguing and I didn’t know where to go,” she cried. “But your car wasn’t in the driveway and I guessed that’s the babysitter and I don’t want to bother her but...I just didn’t know where to go.”

“Let’s come inside, it’s freezing out,” Frank said. “Take a nice, hot shower and you can sleep in the guest room.”

I unlocked the door, noticing Kristin on the couch watching tv.

“Hey, who’s this?” She asked. “Thought you were on a date.”

“This is Jamia,” Frank said. “How’s Bandit?”

“Oh my god, you’re the girl they adopted from,” she said. “Oh it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Yeah, you too,” Jamia said.

“This is my sister-in-law, Kristin,” I said. “Thanks for watching Bandit.”

“Of course, I’ll talk to you later,” she said, giving us both hugs before she left.

“Alright, I’ll show you the bathroom and guest room,” Frank said.

He lead Jamia up the stairs and I folded up the blanket that Kristin had been using. After I tidied up I went to check on Bandit before going to my own room where Frank was waiting.

“I can sleep on the floor if you want,” he offered. “I don’t mind.”

“No, come cuddle in the bed with me,” I said. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“Is Jamia okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, she’s just pretty upset,” Frank said. “She’ll be okay, though.”

I smiled, kissing his cheek. I took off my clothes, changing into a pair of plaid pajama pants with a t-shirt. Frank wrapped his arms around my waist and I sighed.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. “You’ve been acting weird ever since dinner.”

“It’s nothing, I just wish that there was a little bit more romance on our date,” I said. “I know it’s gonna be a weird adjustment transitioning to being a real couple but, like, it was just a little awkward and felt more like we were hanging out as friends.”

“It’ll get a little bit easier,” he said. “I promise, it may be a little bit awkward now but everything will just sort itself out.”

I smiled, giving him a soft kiss.

“I really hope so,” I mumbled.

“Bandit looked pretty peaceful,” he said. “And just as cute as ever.”

I nodded, tossing the throw pillows on the bed aside. Frank was already in some pajamas, fussing with his hair in the mirror. He crawled into bed with me, kissing my cheek. I snuggled up close to his side after turning off the light, closing my eyes. 

“You’re the best, I know this date might have been a little bit awkward but I promise that it will get better and a little bit easier,” he said. “And who cares if we’re acting a bit like friends? At least we’re not fighting anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m really glad that we aren’t doing that anymore,” I agreed. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” he said.

We were quiet for a moment, holding each other close.

“I think we should adopt another baby,” I whispered.

“Gerard, Bandit’s still only a few months old,” Frank stated.

“Not now, after we’re married and Bandit is bigger,” I said. “I think I would want one or two more children.”

“I really wasn’t sure but after having Bandit I just want a house full of children,” he said. “Lots and lots of children. We should open an orphanage.”

“That would be cool but orphanages aren’t really a thing anymore,” I said.

“Where do the babies go then?” He asked.

“Foster system,” I said. “Although, it’s really shitty. The United States needs a major foster system reform.”

“That’s sad, maybe we can foster kids?” Frank suggested.

I smiled, looking up at him.

“I think that sounds like a really good idea,” I said. “Maybe we can try something out. Not another baby, though. We should get an older kid so we don’t have to take care of two babies at once, that would be pretty tough.”

“Can we talk to Bert about it?” Frank asked.

“Probably not but I’ll look into it,” I said. “Let’s just get some rest and we’ll talk more about it in the morning.”

Frank nodded, kissing my forehead. We fell asleep together, holding each other close.

In the morning, I was the first to wake up. I yawned, stretching and kissing Frank’s cheek. He smiled, looking up at me with his beautiful green eyes.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered.

“Good morning,” I said. “Did Bandit wake up at all? I just slept through the whole night.”

“She got up twice, I let you sleep through it,” he said. 

“Well, maybe to thank you for that I’ll cook breakfast this morning,” I said. “I know you’ve been trying to cook breakfast more but you deserve to relax.”

Frank smiled, nodding his head.

“I’m gonna go grab a shower, then,” he said. “Maybe you can join me.”

“If I join you then things are gonna get steamy and we’re still not having sex,” I said. “I am going to go make some breakfast. How about some blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs.”

“Can you make those scrambled eggs with the goat cheese?” Frank asked and I nodded. “Oh, thank you, those are so good.”

I kissed his cheek, heading down to the nursery. Bandit was sleeping peacefully, dressed in adorable little pajamas. Jamia was in the kitchen, wearing one of Frank’s shirts and his sweatpants.

“I-I made coffee,” she said. “Just as a thank you for letting me stay the night.”

“Thank you,” I said. “And you can stay over whenever you want.”

I poured myself a mug of coffee, grabbed a mixing bowl.

“I’m gonna make breakfast, if you want you can go watch tv or something, it shouldn’t take too long,” I said.

“Do you need help?” She asked.

“No, I’m good,” I said.

Jamia read her book on the couch while I baked the muffins. Frank came down, holding Bandit on his hip.

“What are you reading?” He asked.

“A collection of poems,” Jamia said.

It was snowing lightly outside, coating everything in a light layer of white.

“I’ll shovel the driveway later,” Frank said, kissing my cheek.

“Let me give Bandit a kiss,” I said.

Frank held Bandit out and I kissed her forehead.

“I love you,” I said, kissing him softly.

“Love you too,” he said.

Frank set Bandit down onto her tummy on the rug, making her cry. He laid with her, trying to comfort her. I was just glad that Bandit didn’t seem to recognize Jamia at all, that made me feel a lot better. I really want Frank and I to be the only parent figures in her life.

We all ate breakfast and Frank grabbed his laptop once he was done. I cleaned up the table before going to lay with Bandit. She smiled, picking her head up to look at me.

“You are just the cutest little thing in the whole world,” I cooed.

I waved a little rattle in front of her face, making her smile. Bandit kicked her little feet before I heard a loud fart and a foul smell filled the room.

“Not it!” Frank and I both shouted at the same time, touching out noses.

But Frank was just a split second after me and he sighed, getting up to go change Bandit’s diaper. Jamia set her book down, biting her lip.

“Maybe I should go, I’ve stayed long enough,” she said.

“No, no, it’s okay,” I said. “Seriously, I know things aren’t the best at your house and you can stay here for as long as you want.”

“I should go, really,” she said. “Thank you, though. My sister is coming over so I should get home to meet her there.”

“Do you need a ride?” I asked.

“No, that’s okay,” she said. “I’m just gonna take the bus.”

I gave her a hug, locking the door after she left. Frank came down, a slightly disgusted look on his face and Bandit was wearing a new outfit.

“She had a total blowout,” he said. “Hey, where did Mia go?”

“She had to go, she’s gonna meet up with her sister,” I said. “I offered to give her a ride but she told me that she would just take the bus instead.”

“Well, I kind of wish that she would have told me goodbye,” Frank mumbled. “I really wish that she could have a better life. She deserves so much more. She is seriously so intelligent. I bet she is going to get into a big ivy league school. She’s going to get a big scholarship, too.”

I smiled, taking Bandit from him.

“She is all cleaned up and happy now,” he said. “And I think I am going go clean up the driveway and sidewalks now.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” I asked.

“You already made breakfast and cleaned up the dishes, I’ll get the snow,” Frank said. “Besides, someone has to stay in here to watch our sweet little baby.”

“Alright, make sure you bundle up because it’s cold,” I said, giving him a kiss. “Too bad the snowblower is broken.”

“I’ll look at it later and try to fix it,” he said. “Stay warm in here, keep a warm spot on the couch for me so we can go cuddle once I get done.”

“I’ll make some hot cocoa, too,” I said. “With the whipped cream and cinnamon just like you like.”

“You are the best,” Frank said.

He got dressed and went out, letting Bandit and I sit by the window to watch him work.


	21. Chapter 21

Getting a license to foster was a little bit harder than we originally thought, especially because of the problems with us getting divorced and then back together. It just didn’t look very good for our character.

“Stinky toes!” Frank cooed. “You have some stinky toes in your mouth.”

Bandit was sitting up, her toes in her mouth. I smiled as I watched them and Frank tickled her, making her laugh. His phone began to ring and when he left Bandit to answer it she began to cry.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s okay, he’s just talking on the phone but he’ll be back to play with you,” I said.

She calmed down a bit when I was there but was still a little fussy. I was pretty sure she preferred Frank over me, he is around her more often, after all, while I’m at work.

“That was the lady from the foster care center, she will be here in ten minutes for our final visit,” he said. 

“Thank god, all these visits are getting kind of annoying,” I said. “Also, I was thinking about getting Bandit started on solid foods tonight.”

“I don’t know,” Frank muttered. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Is it safe for her to eat solid foods.”

“Yeah, of course it is,” I said. “She’s already six months old now.”

“God, she is getting so big so fast,” he said.

“I can’t believe it,” I said. “This is my little girl and she’s already halfway to one years old now.”

“I know, I just want her to stay tiny forever,” he said.

I picked her up, kissing her cheek.

“Ah, ah, bah,” Bandit cooed. “Bah Bah.”

She reached for Frank and I laughed.

“I guess you’re Bah Bah,” I said. “And that means that I get to be Dada.”

“I am completely okay with being Bah Bah,” Frank stated, reaching over to hold Bandit’s tiny soft hand. “I think it sounds pretty cute.”

“It is, just as cute as you,” I said.

Frank smiled and kissed my cheek.

“You are absolutely stunning, more and more amazing with every single day that passes,” he said. “I’m really glad that I get to be with you. Things may have not gone completely perfect but everything is definitely perfect now.”

I smiled, handing him Bandit when the doorbell rang.

“That must be her,” he said.

I opened the door and smiled at the social worker, Alison Schneider.

“It’s so nice to see you again,” she said. “You two are one of the sweetest couples I know. So sweet that we could even excuse the fact that you’re not married. Hello, Bandit.”

Bandit drooled and Frank quickly wiped it up.

“I made cookies for us,” I said.

“Oh my god, your cookies are the best,” she said. “This is the fifth meeting and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained some weight.”

We let her in and she smiled, looking at her clipboard.

“Your house is spotless, as always,” she said. “That’s a really good thing, a lot of times we can’t allow families to foster because their houses are too messy and it could be a hazard to the children.”

“Well, Gerard is a bit OCD, everything always has to be perfectly clean and in order,” Frank said.

“And that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” I defended. “Just be happy that I love doing dishes because you could be doing them instead.”

Alison smiled, walking into the kitchen.

“So, this is the required fifth meeting,” she said. “And even though it’s required, I don’t really feel that it’s completely necessary because I am completely ready to approve the two of you.”

I gasped happily, giving her a hug.

“That’s really amazing, thank you so much,” I said.

“What kind of child were you wanting to foster?” She asked. “We have a couple kids who need placement.”

“We were thinking an older kid, maybe at least nine or ten,” Frank said. “Definitely not a little one, we already have one baby and although they are absolutely adorable I don’t think i can really take care of the both of them. I am the stay at home dad, after all. There would just be a lot on my plate.”

“Speaking of, Gerard, would you be working when you get a new foster?” Alison asked.

“I would use a day or two of my vacation days to help them settle in and adjust,” I said. “I know that it is probably going to be a pretty rough transition for them and it’s going to take a lot of time for them to really get adjusted.”

“Would you be willing to take more than one?” She asked. “We like to try and keep siblings grouped together as much as possible.”

“Well, we really only have the one bed,” he said. “But maybe we could try and figure something out.”

Frank and I have been sleeping in the same room for two months now, leaving the guest room completely open for a potential foster kid.

“It’s okay if you can’t, you don’t need to buy completely new furniture,” she said. “We’ll try to pair you up with only single children.”

“How soon do you think we’ll be getting a child?” Frank asked.

“Well, we’ll try to find a child that is a good fit for you two and your family,” she said. “There really is no definite time, it could take a few days or a few weeks, just until we find a child that is in need of a new home. Keep in mind that you don't have to take on any child that we give you, you can deny a child if you don’t think they’re a good fit for your family. These children often come from bad homes and were maybe abused or assaulted, they have a lot of mental issues that are in need of being addressed and sometimes it’s hard on the parents and if you can’t handle it then it’s okay.”

“Thank you, Alison,” I said. “We really wanna try and help a child. We know they’ll need a lot of emotional support going through this.”

“Luckily we have the cutest baby in the world and no one could ever possibly be sad staring at such a cute little baby,” Frank said.

“She is such a cutie, I love her little chubby cheeks,” she said. “And the little skirts and tutus. Oh god, they are just so cute. She looks like an angel. Seriously, she could be a baby model or something.”

“We are so lucky to have her,” Frank said. “She is a blessing from heaven herself. If I wasn’t there when she was born then I would believe that she was probably brought down by angels onto our doorstep.”

“Hopefully she wouldn’t get stuck in a tree and become the Grinch,” Alison said.

“Nuh uh, our little baby is going to be such a sweet girl,” I said.

We did a bit more talking before she left, telling us that we would be approved.

“Oh thank god we are done with all those inspections and meetings and interviews,” Frank said as we walked upstairs. “Are you ready for your nap, Little B?”

We walked into the nursery and set her into the crib. Bandit fussed for a little while but thankfully went down pretty easily.

“I’m so glad that she doesn’t put up too much of a fight when it comes to sleeping anymore,” he said. “It just breaks my heart to hear her cry, especially when it’s because she misses us.”

“You have turned into such a softy ever since we adopted her,” I said and he frowned. “But it’s a good thing. It really does suit you a lot. You’re so calm and sweet. I really like that you’re showing your sweet side more often because you were always so reluctant to show it before.”

Frank sighed, caressing my cheek. I blushed, looking into his beautiful green eyes. He leaned forward, gently pressing his lips against mine. He pulled me back to our bedroom and I giggled. We haven’t had sex yet but that doesn’t mean we haven’t done anything yet. Last night he fingered me until I was practically begging and sobbing to come.

“What if she wakes up?” I asked.

“She won’t,” Frank denied.

He pushed me down against the bed and tossed his shirt aside. Frank kissed my neck, pinning my wrists down to the mattress. I bit my lip, giggling softly as his lips brushed against my sensitive skin.

“Wait, wait, I think I heard a car pull up,” I said.

Frank got up and looked out the window before he put on his shirt.

“I don’t recognize the car but I recognize the person getting out of it,” he said. “It’s Jamia.”

“Really? We haven’t heard from her in too long,” I said. 

Frank left the room just before the doorbell rang. I followed him down and saw Jamia on our couch with a busted lip and a bruised cheek.

“OH my god, what happened to you?” I asked.

“Her dad hit her,” Frank said as she cried into his shoulder. “We need to call CPS, he can’t just get away with this.”

“No, you can’t, then I’ll have to go live with my aunt all the way in Wisconsin and I don’t wanna go there,” she said.

I looked at Frank and he seemed to be thinking the same thing as me. At least, I hoped that he was thinking the same thing as me.

“Maybe you could stay here for a bit,” Frank said. “We just got our license to foster, we could foster you.”

“What about my brother?” Jamia asked.

“Yeah, we’ll take him too, it might be a tight squeeze and we’ll have to rearrange a bit but I think that we could fit Evan in here, too,” he said.

“This is okay with both of you?” Jamia sniffled.

“You can’t go back to that house if you’re being abused,” I stated. “We want to help you get through this, you shouldn’t have to put up with any of this at all.”

Jamia sniffled, giving us both hugs as she cried into our arms.


End file.
